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GAINESVILLE – A High Springs man has been sentenced to three years in state prison for shooting a man who siphoned gas from his car. The victim reportedly said he had run out of gas and could not find any open stations because of the hurricane, so he decided to siphon gas from a vehicle in the parking lot of the Days Inn, 1901 S.W. 13th Street, Gainesville.

Jonathan Velez-Rodriguez, 37, received the sentence last week after entering a plea of nolo contendere to aggravated battery in connection with the Sept. 27, 2024, shooting near the Days Inn. Judge Robert Groeb also ordered two years of probation following his release.

Gainesville Police responded just after 7 a.m. that morning and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the thigh on the 1400 block of Southwest 18th Place. Three spent shell casings were discovered in the roadway nearby.

The victim told police he had run out of gas and, unable to find open stations due to the hurricane, attempted to siphon fuel from a parked vehicle at the motel. When the owner confronted him, the victim said he walked away. He reported that Velez-Rodriguez then followed him in his car as he ran across Southwest 13th Street and into a nearby neighborhood, where shots were fired from about 20 to 30 feet away.

Officers located Velez-Rodriguez near his vehicle shortly afterward. According to the arrest report, he immediately acknowledged his role, telling the officer, “It’s me… I’m who you’re looking for… I messed up.” He said he had seen the man siphoning gas, returned to his motel room for his keys, and then drove around searching for him.

Post-Miranda, Velez-Rodriguez told investigators he retrieved a firearm from his glove box and fired out the window as he drove onto Southwest 18th Place. He said he believed he fired twice and that he intended only to scare the victim, not hit him.

Police recovered the handgun from Velez-Rodriguez’s glove box, and investigators noted that the ammunition matched the casings found at the scene.

Velez-Rodriguez was released on $50,000 bail after spending about 11 days in jail. He entered his plea on Nov. 20 and was sentenced the same day.

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Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

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