Man Arrested for Robbery by Sudden Snatching
On October 12, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Zachary Michael Kirby, 20, and charged him with robbery by sudden snatching, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The incident occurred on October 10. Kirby called and texted the victim at 3:30 a.m. stating he would come to her location. Kirby reportedly located the victim using a shared GPS application despite the victim ending their relationship two days prior.
According to the arrest report, “[Kirby] arrived at the location and demanded to see the victim. After an argument ensued, [Kirby] intentionally removed the victim’s phone from her hand with a swift motion with the intention to deprive her of the phone and view its contents. [Kirby] then moved away from the victim while still holding the phone… The victim struck at [Kirby] to get her phone back. [Kirby] then placed the victim’s phone onto the ground and allowed [her] to take back possession of the phone.”
When police arrived on scene, Kirby reportedly appeared to be following the victim, who was sobbing and running away from Kirby.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Kirby reportedly admitted to taking the victim’s phone. Attempting to justify his actions, Kirby reportedly “stated that he only wished to find evidence of her unfaithfulness to their relationship, and had given the phone back shortly after taking it.”
Kirby was released on a $1,000 bond set by Judge James Colaw with conditions to not contact the victim.
Kirby reportedly has a juvenile criminal record dating back to 2018. This is his first adult case.
