Wednesday morning, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies booked Jarrod Austin Lawrence Free, 33, into jail on a probation violation warrant.
In July 2017, Free was convicted of traveling to meet a minor and Judge James Colaw sentenced him to five years in prison followed by ten years of sex offender probation.
In late 2016, Free was caught in a child predator sting conducted by the Gainesville Police Department. Free engaged in a sexually charged conversation with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, asked her to send nude photographs and sent her a sexually explicit photograph.
Free traveled to meet the presumed child while in possession of a dozen condoms and cannabis.
The arrest report states Free “admitted texting and emailing in a sexually explicit manner to someone who had identified themselves as a 14 year old female. [Free] admitted to sending the female a picture of a penis. [Free] stated he was going to check the female’s identification for age before having sexual contact. [Free] admitted ownership of the cannabis and paraphernalia.”
In March 2021, Free completed his prison sentence and began his term of probation.
On August 25, 2026, Correctional Probation Senior Supervisor John Richards contacted Free at his residence in Bushnell. Richards found that Free’s phone was connected to Wi-Fi in the house and that it can run on data. Richards reportedly found that Free has used YouTube and other web browsers.
Free reportedly “stated that he successfully completed sex offender treatment and that he was under the impression that the no internet condition was only in effect while he was in treatment.”
Richards and Free’s probation officer recommended that Free be sentenced to 60 days in jail and be allowed to continue with the remainder of his probation.
Free’s arraignment is scheduled for September 30.
