Alachua County Man Begins Serving 18-Month Prison Sentence

On April 1, Thomas Andrew Ray, 37, was placed into the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) to begin serving an 18-month prison sentence.

Ray’s path to prison began nearly two years ago when Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers arrested and charged him with two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief. 

Ray’s Arrests

According to the arrest report, Ray damaged the vehicles and trailer resided in by Anna Perez and convicted sex offender Bhaktivinode Franklin. In 2012, Franklin was convicted of sexually abusing a child. 

Franklin has been arrested for violating probation multiple times, with one incident in 2022 involving another criminal case. Franklin was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery that year for shoving dirt in a woman’s mouth. He told police he did it so she would see what meth tastes like.

Perez and Ray were previously in a relationship and have a child together, but by the time of the incident, they had split up, and she had begun a relationship with Franklin. 

The arrest report states that on July 28, 2024, “[Perez] and [Franklin] were walking back and forth between the residence and the trailer as they loaded [Perez’s] property into the trailer. [Ray] drove to [Perez’s] residence, and when [Franklin] walked out to the trailer, [he] saw [Ray] stopped in the roadway near [his] vehicle. [Franklin] did not recognize [Ray] or [his] vehicle, and [Ray] drove off. A short time later, [Ray] drove by… while [Perez] and [Franklin] were outside the residence, and [Ray] yelled out to them, 'Pedophile rapist, stay away from my kid.’ [Perez] and [Franklin] then noticed that several tires on their vehicles and the trailer had been cut. [Ray] continued to drive by the residence, and at one point, [he] stopped across the street and exited his vehicle.”

The arrest report continues, stating Franklin “ushered” Perez and her children into the residence “for their safety.” 

Officer Thomas Reynolds reported that the damage was estimated to be at $450 between all the slashed tires. 

In her interview with police, Perez advised that she hadn’t had contact with Ray since April 2024. She said Ray made “derogatory remarks about [Franklin] being a sex offender while in a court-monitored chat with their child.” Perez said she believed Ray was “upset because [his] attorney recently stopped representing him.” 

Reynolds reported, “While officers were at [Perez’s] residence, [Ray] called ASOCC dispatch and advised the call taker that a sex offender was at [Perez’s] residence and provided [Franklin’s] name to dispatch. This call came from [Ray’s] phone number. [Ray] was contacted outside his residence. Post Miranda, [Ray] admitted to cutting the tires with a knife because he saw what appeared to be [Perez] moving. [Ray] feared that [Perez] and [Franklin] were taking his child away to go into hiding and fears that [Franklin] is abusing his child because [Franklin] is a registered sex offender.”

Ray told officers that he moved to Gainesville in June 2024 to fight for the custody of his child. While being booked into jail, Ray reportedly “indicated that he was willing to go to jail and do whatever it takes to keep his child away from [Franklin].”

Reynolds reported that Ray’s “intentions when he exited the vehicle while across the street from [Perez’s] residence [is] unknown.” 

Just hours after Ray committed the property damage, his girlfriend, who is the victim in his subsequent cases, was charged with aggravated assault against Perez. The arrest report states she drove her vehicle towards Perez at a high rate of speed. 

After their arrests, Ray and his girlfriend posted respective bonds of $10,000 and $25,000. Ray's girlfriend would later enter a no contest plea deal where she was sentenced to two years of probation and avoided a formal conviction.

According to a pretrial release violation report, “Officer [Chase] Law received a call from [Perez] on August 21, 2024, stating that [Ray] reached out to her on August 10, 2024, via a parenting app that they used to use. [Ray] sent a message to the victim saying, ‘I am still here.’ [Perez] also stated that [Ray] commented on online articles about the incident and referred to [her] as ‘a deadbeat child abuser’ on the public article.”

On October 21, 2024, Alachua Police Department (APD) officers arrested Ray and charged him with illegally installing a tracking device (felony) and cyberstalking (misdemeanor) against his girlfriend (the victim). The arrest report states the victim and Ray had a child together earlier that month and about a week prior to the incident, the victim separated from Ray “due to numerous allegations of infidelity and [Ray] claiming that [the victim] had several men in the residence. Despite a prenatal paternity test coming back positive, [Ray] is uncertain whether the child is his.”

The victim and her mother were residing in a hotel room in Alachua away from Ray in order to keep their distance out of fear of him due to his recent actions. The victim allowed Ray to see their newborn on a few occasions at the hotel lobby, but he was not permitted to enter the room.  

While the victim and her mother were at a restaurant in Alachua, Ray showed up, and they engaged in what the arrest report describes as a “cordial conversation.” 

The victim expressed to police that she did not know how Ray made contact with her until discovering an Apple AirTag tracking device in the front passenger fender area of the vehicle. The arrest report states, “She removed the AirTag and went to a local U-Haul rental store in Alachua to rent a trailer. [She] handed the AirTag to her mother, who then disposed of it by throwing it, possibly landing in the bed of a pickup truck. [The victim] returned to the hotel and noticed that [Ray] was following her. She continued to drive away from the hotel and contacted law enforcement while [Ray] continued to follow. Upon returning to the hotel, she was met by law enforcement, with [Ray] still on the scene. After being read his Miranda rights, [Ray] stated he believed [the victim] was moving to another state because she was staying at a hotel and gathering her belongings from the residence. He admitted to placing an Apple AirTag on [the victim's] vehicle under the passenger wheel/door area and tracking her location. [Ray] indicated that he found [her] location at the restaurant through the AirTag and, after she left, waited near the hotel for her to return after picking up food from a nearby Publix. While on the phone with his lawyer, and with me standing next to him, [Ray] claimed he had been following [the victim] for approximately 30 minutes. When asked if he knew the location of the AirTag he used to track [her], [Ray] stated, while sitting in his vehicle with officers present, that he had been checking its location and believed it was currently in Newberry, Florida, indicating that he thought [the victim] had placed it on another vehicle.”

The responding officer noted that both the victim and Ray had ankle monitors at the time of the incident. The officer reported, “I was informed that [Ray] had a court appearance earlier that day for a previous domestic disturbance involving an ex-partner, during which he had slashed possibly her tires. It was also brought to my attention by [the victim] that [Ray] has had previous domestic disturbances with an ex-wife as well. [The victim] stated that [Ray] constantly makes suicidal statements and has had the Gainesville Police Department conduct well-being checks on him. [The victim] was attempting to relocate to another state out of fear of potential domestic violence altercations.” 

The responding officer reported, “Due to [Ray’s] continued actions, I believe that these behaviors are escalating and may result in bodily harm or death to others.”

Ray remained in jail over the next couple of months, unable to post the $65,000 bond. 

On November 12, 2024, Ray agreed to be adjudicated guilty for the criminal mischief charges in exchange for 11 or 12 months of probation. He remained in jail for the pending stalking case after being sentenced.

On December 2, 2024, Ray’s public defender submitted a formal motion to reduce bond.

Judge James Colaw ultimately reduced Ray’s bond to $5,000. 

Ray posted his bond towards the end of December 2024. 

On January 6, 2025, the court filed a motion from Ray to withdraw his adjudication and enter a not guilty plea.

Judge Kristine Van Vorst denied the motion. 

On February 13, 2025, the State Attorney’s Office granted Ray a pretrial diversion in his stalking case. Under the agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop the case after two years if Ray could abide by certain conditions.

On November 30, 2025, APD arrested Ray for issuing a death threat against the victim publicly on social media.

Ray was charged with a felony count of intimidation and held in jail on a $100,000 bond. Ray was also placed back under prosecution in his stalking case. 

Ray’s Statements to Court: 

In December 2025, Ray issued a “sworn statement” in his intimidation case that contained allegations involving human trafficking and the Hare Krishna religious group.

Ray alleged that in December 2019, Perez “coerced” him to move from Kansas City, Missouri, to Gainesville “under the guise of co-parenting” their daughter.

Ray alleged that in reality he was being “coerced” to join the Hare Krishna movement and made to live on an isolated farm where he says he was "essentially labor trafficked in an informal work-trade agreement with the property owners Lorraine Sherman and William Vidal.” 

Ray said he was “expected to participate in religious ceremonies” that attempted to “convert” his faith and that he was “often provided with unlicensed marijuana (a controlled substance) to exploit” him for labor. 

Ray said the property in question, 3811 NW 177th Ave., was “prone to harboring fugitives and sex offenders, their religious beliefs being the only important factor to the property owners.”

Ray described Sherman as a “self-help attorney” and said she attempted to assist him and Perez with a “parenting plan," but it “was never finalized.” 

Ray additionally alleged that Perez “attempted to coerce” him into “joining an exclusive religious group operated by David B. Wolf and Marie Glasheen known at the Satvatove Institute.” 

Ray wrote, “I denied the invitation and later learned of the negative reputation David B. Wolf had with ISCKON (a major proponent of the Krishna Movement) and the negative reputation associated with the Satvatove Institute.”

Ray alleged that in October 2020 Perez “coerced” him to travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado, with her and their child to visit her parents. Ray said that during the trip, Perez got into an argument with her dad, and she then "abandoned" him with “no money,” taking their daughter with her. 

Ray said that in April 2021, he returned to Sherman’s farm to resume parenting his daughter. Ray alleged he was “labor trafficked until the end of July 2021” when he and Perez had a “serious argument” that resulted in Sherman asking him to leave the farm. 

Ray said that he lived at his father’s house from December 2021 until May 2022, during which time he began mediation sessions with Perez. Ray said that in June 2022 he moved to Alachua and had several visits with his daughter until they stopped with “no explanation” towards the end of the year.

Ray said that in December 2022, he received an anonymous message from an individual stating they saw Perez and their daughter, the child's half-sibling, and Franklin, in a grocery store. Ray said the source advised they were “playing music for money” in the liquor section of the grocery store.

Ray said that in January 2023, he returned to Kansas City to spend time with his oldest daughter. Ray said that the following month, he learned his child, whom he shared with Perez, was enrolled at Morning Meadows Montessori School, which he said is run by Hare Krishna devotees. 

Ray’s statement continues, “Mid-April 2023 I started a relationship with [my] co-worker..." (later victim]). "Without realizing it, I was soon coerced into living with her, where I was isolated from the public and family, provided marijuana constantly, and exploited for her sexual enjoyment without a clear path to escape.” 

Ray said that in August 2023, the victim helped him pay for legal services from family law attorney Darby Hertz to petition for his parental rights. Hertz told Ray he would need to relocate to Gainesville if he wanted 50/50 custody of his child. 

Ray said that in January 2024, he began talking to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety as a result of negative serotonin stemming from mixed use of Prozac and marijuana.

Ray wrote that he "only took Prozac for 10 days," but during that time he and the victim "conceived a child" and they "both decided to keep it." Ray wrote, "By this time, I had left my job at Show Me Organics, and [she] was in full control of my income. I spent much of my time doing domestic house-work and tending to her indoor marijuana grow.” 

Ray said that in early June 2024, he and the victim moved to Gainesville at Hertz’s advice to engage in custody-sharing with Perez. Ray said that later that month, he learned via a court-ordered phone call with his daughter that Franklin was her “new dad” and was “swimming in the backyard pool with her.” Ray learned soon after that Franklin is a registered sex offender and is not allowed to have contact with children unattended. Ray said he informed Hertz of his issue with this, and she subsequently dropped him as a client due to conflict of interest because she previously represented Franklin. 

Ray wrote, “[In] July 2024, I made several attempts to bring justice to the situation by getting authorities involved. I called [GPD] to Anna Perez’s residence to do well-check visits 3 times” in addition to calling a detective and Franklin’s probation officer. “Nobody seemed to want to take any action towards keeping this guy away from my daughter. I filed a [child protective services] claim and a report with the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement, both of which were denied.”

Ray continued to describe the events of his criminal mischief arrest. Regarding the victim's arrest, Ray said she drove by Perez’s residence yelling profanities, but Perez and Franklin “claim she almost hit them with her car."

Ray described himself and the victim returning home with ankle monitors after bonding out. He referenced an Alachua Chronicle article that contained their mugshots, saying it “[altered] the course of [their] lives.” 

Ray went on to say that he was able to have visits with his daughter between June 2025 and November 2025. Ray also said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Ray made allegations of a “broad civil conspiracy” against him.

Ray also regarded concerns pertaining to him sharing the same name with one or more sex offenders. (Ray shares a name with a Missouri sex offender and a Florida sex offender.

Ray ultimately concluded his statement by asking for a name change for himself and his children. Ray asked for “financial assistance” to pay for custody proceedings and to relocate himself and his children so they can “retain anonymity and safety from the Hare Krishna Movement and other individuals and groups responsible for human trafficking in this case.”

Recent Case and Convictions 

On January 28, 2026, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies charged Ray with misdemeanor cyberstalking via sworn complaint. The report regards Ray making public posts that accuses Perez of sex trafficking their child for drugs. This case remains pending today without formal charges. 

Ray wrote a letter to the court in this case that builds on similar allegations he pressed in his prior case.

Ray stated he also learned from his daughter that she was "only given nutritional yeast and water for dinner." Ray said he has many photos of his daughter with a distorted and crooked jawline which keeps her from smiling normally. Ray said he learned "through personal research that gurneyed jawlines in children can be a result of the mother's drug use during breastfeeding, or from physical abuse or sexual abuse."

Ray said he had another photo with his daughter appearing to have an enlarged eye which he said "could be as a result of physical abuse, drug abuse, or the extraction of an illicit substance called adrenochrome which is taken from a child's eye and used for recreational/drug purposes."

Ray's notions regarding Adrenochrome appear to be derived from conspiracy theories related to QAnon.

Ray alleges that Perez conceived a child with another man in Uganda in 2014 before leaving for Finland without telling the father she was pregnant. Ray alleged that in 2018, Perez informed him that she "forged her Chinese-American ex-husband, Richard Young Perez's signature onto the birth certificate of her Ugandan son... in order to immigrate him from Finland into the United States." Ray said he's "never seen" his daughter's birth certificate and that he suspects Perez "may have attempted a forgery again for immigration reasons."

Ray said he "is aware of illicit behavior within the Hare Krishna religious devotees, of which [Perez] has been known to associate with" and furthered his claims of a "civil conspiracy."

Ray alleged that Perez began isolating others after she began participating in the Satvatove Institute.

On March 5, 2026, Ray took a plea deal on all cases that were pending from 2024 and 2025. He was convicted on felony charges of illegally installing a tracking device and writing a threat to kill to do bodily harm, along with a misdemeanor count of stalking, and sentenced to a year and a half in prison.