Trevis Avante Strawder, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Florida 2022

GAINESVILLE, FL – Trevis Avante Strawder, 28, of Fort White, Florida, is headed to federal prison for a decade after being caught with loaded firearms despite a rap sheet longer than a police report. Strawder was sentenced Friday following a guilty plea in October 2022 to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The bust underscores the ongoing struggle to keep guns out of the hands of those already deemed dangerous by the courts.

The trouble began August 17, 2021, when Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a 911 call about an armed disturbance at Woodland Park Apartments. Witnesses reported a man with a gun fleeing in a vehicle. When officers tried to pull him over, Strawder bailed, ditching a black bag while running into a wooded area. A K9 unit quickly tracked the bag, revealing a nasty payload: two loaded pistols and a cocktail of illegal drugs including cocaine, crack, MDMA, and MDPV.

Strawder didn’t stop there. After losing the guns and drugs, he allegedly attempted to break into the home of an elderly man. The homeowner managed to fend him off, and Strawder was eventually found hiding inside the residence. He initially lied to officers about his identity, but was quickly identified and taken into custody, adding to the already growing list of charges against him.

This wasn’t Strawder’s first rodeo. Records show a lengthy history of felony convictions, including burglary, grand theft, drug possession, prior firearm possession by a felon, and even battery on a detainee. It was this extensive criminal background that prompted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to take over the case for federal prosecution, ensuring a harsher penalty than he might have faced in state court.

U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody, of the Northern District of Florida, hailed the sentence as a victory for the Gainesville Gun Violence Initiative (GVI), a collaborative effort between local, state, and federal agencies. “The collaborative efforts of our partners…continue to produce impactful results,” Coody stated. “This sentence ensures that our community will be safer and sends a message that there are real and severe consequences for federal firearm offenses.”

The GVI, established in April 2019, includes the State Attorney’s Office for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, the FBI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and multiple local police departments. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher M. Elsey prosecuted the case. While the GVI boasts of success, the streets of Gainesville remain a stark reminder that this is a never-ending battle against gun violence and repeat offenders like Trevis Strawder.

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