Gainesville men sentenced to decades behind bars on gun charges

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Two men from Gainesville are each sentenced to nearly two decades in prison on firearm charges after they tried to run from traffic stops.

According to the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Keith Puryear, 42, and Alphonso Richardson, 43, were sentenced to 18 and 19.5 years respectively for felony gun offenses. Both men have a combined 40 felony charges prior to these new convictions.

Prosecutors say Puryear was pulled over by Gainesville Police in April 2022 and ran from the traffic stop. He was found by a K9 unit hiding inside a doghouse in a residential backyard. Later a pistol was found that Puryear had tossed.

“The collaborative efforts of our partners in the Gainesville Gun Violence Initiative continue to produce impactful results, and we will continue working tirelessly to make North Florida safer,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “These sentences ensure that our community will be safer and sends a message that there are real and severe consequences for federal firearm offenses.”

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In January 2022, Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies found Richardson driving a relative’s vehicle without permission. Richardson also tried to run from the traffic stop but his foot got tangled in the seatbelt. They then found a gun, ammunition, and drugs.

“The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work tirelessly in cooperation with our fellow law enforcement agencies to eradicate gun violence in our community,” said Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr.

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