Man on probation arrested for displaying guns in Instagram posts

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lionel Teddy Sheffield, Jr., 23, was arrested yesterday and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Crime Analyst found that he had posted pictures of himself with guns on Instagram.

On June 11, the crime analyst saw an Instagram story showing two people and two guns, then looked at previous posts from that account and reportedly found a video that had been posted on May 4 and showed four people and a gun. The crime analyst looked up the Instagram account in a law enforcement database and found that it was associated with Sheffield; a check of court records showed that Sheffield is a convicted felon who is on probation for armed burglary.

The crime analyst notified a detective, and the detective noted that Sheffield is listed as a Violent Felony Offender of Special Concern. The detective reviewed the video and reported that Sheffield appeared to be holding a Glock-type handgun in one of them; the detective later noted that the background of the video was consistent with the interior of Sheffield’s apartment.

The detective reported that Sheffield appeared to be holding an AR-15 in the second video and added, “The rifle does not have a stock, making it technically a pistol.”

Yesterday, a search warrant was served on Sheffield’s apartment at Cabana Beach. As the search warrant was read to one of the apartment’s residents, Sheffield reportedly walked over, and the detective told him they were there because of the videos he posted to social media, showing himself and others with guns. Sheffield reportedly said, “Those weren’t my guns” and said they belonged to other people. The detective reportedly explained that it is illegal for Sheffield to hold guns because he is a convicted felon.

Post Miranda, Sheffield reportedly said he did not want to answer questions, but when the detective said he was under arrest for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, he reportedly said his friends had permits for those guns.

The detective wrote that he grabbed Sheffield’s right arm, and another deputy grabbed his left arm, and Sheffield began struggling, trying to reach into his pocket or his fanny pack. The detective reportedly told him to stop resisting, but he allegedly continued resisting. The detective reportedly twisted his arm toward the ground, and Sheffield and both deputies fell to the ground on the paved parking lot. Sheffield suffered a cut over his right eye and was transported to an emergency room for treatment.

Sheffield has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and resisting an officer without violence. He has a juvenile criminal history and two adult felony convictions (none violent); he has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2022. He is currently on probation.

The State Attorney’s Office filed a motion to have him held without bail until trial, arguing that Sheffield has a substantial probability of not complying with conditions of release. Judge Kristine Van Vorst declined to hold him without bail until a hearing is held on that motion and set bail at $160,000.

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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