GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Colin R. Jefferies, who is 30 years old, was sentenced today to 90 days in jail and two years of drug offender probation, but he was not found guilty.
He was charged with having a gun while committing a felony, having a gun hidden, having marijuana with the intent to sell it, and having drug paraphernalia.
On August 30, 2022, Jefferies was caught on I-75. A Florida Highway Patrol policeman pulled him over because he was following too close. When the policeman talked to Jefferies, he saw and smelled weed on him.
A search based on probable cause was said to have turned up 4 pounds of weed in vacuum-sealed bags and a stolen gun from Volusia County. Jefferies had easy access to the gun while he was in the car.
The next day, Jefferies paid his $125,000 bail. Today, he pleaded “no contest” to the four charges above.
Two of the original charges had already been dropped: possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and theft of a firearm. The most time that could be given in state jail for the charges is 26 years.
Jefferies was also charged with money laundering in a written complaint on October 26, 2022. He was pulled over for following too closely, and a probable cause search allegedly found over $9,000 in cash in “quick count” bundles. Detectives were also said to have found text messages on his phone that seemed to set up a drug deal.
In return for Jefferies’s guilty plea in the case from August, the case from October will be dropped, and he will not be found guilty in the case from August.
Jefferies will spend 90 days in the Alachua County Jail, but he will get credit for the two days he has already spent there.
After that, he will have to do 24 months of probation for being a drug criminal. He will have to give up the gun and pay the normal court and probe fees.
