Homeless man arrested for raping woman in tent encampment near GRACE

Updated on August 13 with comment from Executive Director of GRACE Marketplace

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Rodney Lee Gillis, 43, was arrested yesterday and charged with sexual battery after a woman at GRACE Marketplace said she had been raped.

The victim told a responding Gainesville Police Department officer that her grandfather dropped her off at GRACE about five days ago to live there with a female relative, and she had been living in a tent at GRACE since then. She said other residents of GRACE have said her relative has been selling sex with her for drugs, but she said that had not been directly confirmed with her relative.

The victim said that on the day of the sexual battery, a man she knew as “Rod” approached her and her relative, and she went into her tent with the man but thought they were going to talk. Instead, she said, the man pushed her down, held her down, and sexually battered her. She said she repeatedly told him to stop, but he continued.

A witness helped the officer identify Gillis, who was arrested yesterday afternoon. Post Miranda, he reportedly said he had arrived at GRACE on August 9 and was introduced to the victim by her relative that same day. He said he went into his tent alone with the victim and they had consensual sex. He reportedly said the victim’s relative was “right outside the tent” while he was inside the tent with the victim for about 30 minutes.

Gillis has at least seven felony convictions (two violent) and eight misdemeanor convictions (two violent). He has served three prison sentences, with the first two out of Alachua County and the third for selling cocaine in Duval County; he was last released in June 2023. Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion by the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial.

Jon DeCarmine, Executive Director of GRACE Marketplace, sent this comment: “Though the individual arrested for this may have had a GRACE address, he was not a resident here, nor had he received any services at ANY homeless service provider in Alachua County since 2021. Thousands of people receive mail at the GRACE address, but this doesn’t mean they are residents of the campus or service recipients. Our staff had been involved in helping the police identify suspects and the victim, and had worked to connect the victim to Adult Protective Services prior to the incident. But to be clear, the perpetrator did NOT live at GRACE, nor did the incident happen at GRACE. It happened in the woods between GRACE and Tacachale, an area maintained by the City that is completely separate from GRACE services. As a general rule, if you ever see a police report referencing a person ‘living in a tent,’ that is not something that happened at GRACE. We have 140 shelter beds, but no tent camping area or any other overnight accommodations aside from the occasional cold weather or hurricane shelter.”

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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