Gainesville Barber Sent Back to Prison After Felony Convictions
On Thursday, Joseph Daniel Miranda, 33, was sentenced to three years in prison following a no contest plea and conviction of drug possession with intent to sell (felony), possession of a controlled substance without a prescription (felony), possession of ammunition by a convicted felon (felony), operating a vehicle at excessive speeds (misdemeanor) and damaging property while driving under the influence (misdemeanor).
Facing a maximum prison sentence of 36 years, Miranda took a plea deal that was accepted by Judge James Colaw.
Miranda's prison sentence will be followed by a two-year term of drug offender probation.
According to the arrest report, on August 16, 2025, late at night, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Deputy Kaleb Payne was traveling south on I-75. Payne observed a small gray four-door sedan merge onto the interstate. The vehicle began passing cars at speeds of over 120 miles per hour, and Payne followed behind.
Payne reported, “The vehicle also merged into a small opening between vehicles at unsafe speeds and distance. The other motorist had to apply the brakes to prevent a collision, hindering the regular flow of traffic. I activated my emergency equipment in an attempt to perform a traffic stop due to the reckless driving pattern and imminent danger the defendant's actions posed to the public. As I initiated a traffic stop, the driver attempted to merge lanes again at [an] unsafe speed and distance, subsequently colliding with another vehicle in transport. Both vehicles lost control and careened off the interstate causing property damage to another vehicle. When ensuring the driver's wellbeing, the defendant was in the driver's seat, slow to open the door and I could smell the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle.”
Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrived on the scene to investigate the crash and informed Payne they found narcotics in Miranda’s vehicle.
The search yielded 174 grams of cannabis and five grams of cocaine. Payne reported that the substances were packaged in a manner consistent with redistribution. Also located was an open bottle of Don Julio liquor on the passenger seat floor, $1,725 in cash, and a singular Winchester shotgun shell in the glove box.
Following Miranda’s arrest, ACSO released video from the incident on their Facebook account.
(ACSO)
This won't be the first time Miranda goes to prison.
In October 2022, Miranda was arrested for aggravated assault and placed under probation violation due to having recent adjudications for theft and drug charges. The arrest report states:
“[On October 30, 2022, around 3:00 a.m.], Vic 2 witnessed [Miranda] crouching behind the closest parked vehicle in direct eyesight to the back porch. [Miranda] then pointed a small black semi-automatic handgun at Vic 1 and said ‘you can get it pussy’ once confronted in the parking lot. After [Miranda] left he [sent] Vic 2 threatening [text] messages that he would return with more people around 4 a.m. to harm them.”
Gainesville Police Department Officer Justin Thomas arrived on the scene, reporting that the victims were in fear Miranda would return and kill them.
Vic 2 said she met Miranda on the dating website Plenty of Fish and they went on one date. She explained that Miranda showed up at her house days later and started cleaning guns in her living room, prompting her to ask him to leave and not return.
Miranda was convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to two years in prison, with the term running alongside his probation violation sentence.
According to his Instagram, Miranda was employed as a barber at 2Krushal Cuts Barbershop in Gainesville.
As of now, Miranda remains in the Alachua County Jail awaiting transportation to a Florida Department of Corrections facility.
