Man Arrested for Trafficking, Battery, Armed Robbery in Hawthorne

HAWTHORNE – An Interlachen man on probation and listed as a fugitive by the Florida Department of Corrections was arrested March 20, 2026 after deputies said he stole a vehicle at gunpoint, assaulted a woman and was later found with trafficking-level quantities of illegal drugs.

Norman Israel Colon, 46, faces multiple felony charges following the incident at a residence in Hawthorne, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

A deputy reported that the victim and a witness had gone to the residence to pick up the victim’s father when Colon, identified as the victim’s on-and-off boyfriend, approached and aggressively demanded the keys to her vehicle. The victim is the sole registered owner of the car, which she had recently purchased.

During the encounter, Colon allegedly displayed a black handgun and threatened to shoot anyone who interfered. An unidentified man at the scene reportedly urged him to put the weapon away before the situation escalated. Colon then placed the firearm in a nearby vehicle but continued demanding the keys, according to the report.

Deputies said Colon then allegedly offered to pay an unidentified woman $100 to “beat” the victim to get the keys.  As Colon and the woman approached, Colon allegedly shoved the victim to the ground. Fearing for her safety, the victim surrendered her keys under duress.

The victim later showed deputies text messages in which Colon allegedly threatened to kill her if she contacted law enforcement.

Authorities said Colon removed the license plate from the victim’s vehicle and replaced it with a different Florida tag. Deputies later located him sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and took him into custody.

While securing the scene, deputies reported seeing drugs and needles in plain view inside the vehicle. A subsequent search yielded approximately 15.34 grams of methamphetamine, 15.22 grams of cocaine, 37 suboxone strips, two Percocet pills, two additional suboxone pills, a quantity of a suspected cutting agent and empty plastic baggies.

A Glock pistol matching the victim’s description of the weapon used during the incident was reportedly found in the trunk.

Colon was also arrested on a violation of probation warrant out of Putnam County and an additional warrant from Pennsylvania.

He is charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery, display of a firearm during the commission of a felony, grand theft of a motor vehicle, trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of drug equipment and criminal solicitation.

Records indicate Colon has at least two prior felony convictions in Pennsylvania and previously served a state prison sentence in Florida before his release in 2022. He is currently on drug offender probation in Putnam County.

Circuit Judge Sheree Lancaster ordered Colon held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office seeking to keep him in custody until trial. If that motion is denied, bail will be set at a later hearing.

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