Public Safety

Gainesville man accused of staging fake carjacking after fleeing deputies

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop 23-year-old Jonah Godbolt on Southwest 132nd Avenue after detecting the smell of marijuana, but he sped away and evaded them. About 45 minutes later, Godbolt called in a report of an armed carjacking in the same area, claiming three people stole his car at gunpoint — a story deputies say unraveled when the same officer who had tried to pull him over recognized him at the scene, still smelling of marijuana and covered in leaves and plant burrs.

Sources: WCJB TV20