Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Randall Monroe Owen, 39, was arrested yesterday and charged with armed robbery and giving a false name to an officer after allegedly taking a phone from another man; when he was confronted by the owner of the cell phone, he allegedly pointed a BB gun at the victim, then threw the BB gun down and chased the victim with a large grilling fork.

The victim told the responding Gainesville Police Department officer that he was looking for his cell phone, and when he called it, he found Owen using it without his permission. He said Owen refused to return the phone and instead pulled a gun, later found to be a BB gun, and pointed it at him. The victim said Owen threw down the gun and picked up a large grilling fork, then chased him with the grilling fork, saying he would kill the victim.

The victim said he ran inside a building in the 100 block of NE 23rd Avenue and held the door shut to protect himself from Owen until Owen left the area.

Owen was arrested nearby, and the victim positively identified him.

At the time the arrest report was written, the cell phone had not been located, but the BB gun and grilling fork were reportedly found.

Owen reportedly told the officer that he was attacked by other people, but post Miranda, he reportedly said he did not understand his rights, so he was not questioned.

Owen reportedly provided the name “Richard M. Owens” to the officer, but that name was not found in law enforcement databases. The name “Randall M. Owen” was found, but Owen reportedly said he was not Randall. At the jail, he was identified as Owen after being fingerprinted. At that point, he was also arrested on a warrant for violating probation.

Owen, who is described as homeless in court documents, has five felony convictions (one violent) and 13 misdemeanor convictions (five violent). He has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2018. He is on probation for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Judge Jonathan Ramsey ordered him held without bond for violating probation and set bail at $52,000 on the new charges.