Oklahoma Fugitive Captured in Jonesville, Faces New Charges

ONESVILLE ‒ A 26-year-old man wanted on felony warrants out of Oklahoma was arrested late Thursday night in Jonesville after deputies added drug and firearm charges to his case.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) reported that deputies responded around 10 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2025, to the Noble on Newberry Apartments at 671 N.W. 120^th Terrace after a Gainesville Police Department officer spotted the suspect. The man, identified as Samuel Joseph Mantone IV, was wanted in Oklahoma on warrants for use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and drug trafficking.

Deputies detained Mantone at the apartment complex. During the arrest, he reportedly told deputies he had a firearm tucked into his waistband. The loaded gun was recovered, and deputies conducted a search incident to arrest. That search yielded three small baggies containing 3.9 grams of methamphetamine, four baggies with 4.6 grams of marijuana, two lighters and a pipe used for smoking meth.

Mantone, who has at least one prior felony conviction, was charged locally with two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, unlawful concealed carry of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Judge Meshon Rawls later reviewed the charges, ruling that ammunition loaded into a firearm generally does not qualify as a separate offense and therefore found no probable cause for the second count of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. Bail for the remaining charges was set at $197,000.

Mantone remains in custody on both the local charges and the active warrants from Oklahoma.

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