Gainesville Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Robbery
On April 16, Judge James Colaw sentenced Luis Narvaez, 43, to three years in prison for robbery. Narvaez entered an open no contest plea, meaning there wasn’t a set sentence and Colaw had the discretion to impose the maximum of five years.
This comes after three felony theft convictions from 2019-2022, along with an aggravated assault case that prosecutors dropped.
Aggravated Assault Case
On September 9, 2025, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers arrested Narvaez on a count of domestic aggravated assault for allegedly threatening his girlfriend with a knife.
According to the arrest report, Narvaez and the victim were involved in altercations during the overnight hours, prompting the victim to leave the residence and go to her sister’s residence. The victim later returned and Narvaez reportedly accused her of having sex with someone else. To prove she did not, the victim reportedly called her sister and handed Narvaez her phone, so she could dispel the allegation.
The arrest report continues, stating the victim “retrieved her phone from [Narvaez]… and walked into the kitchen while [Narvaez] remained seated on the couch. [Narvaez] thought [the victim] was laughing at him, so [he] stabbed a knife into the living room table and told [the victim] that he could stab her in the side of her neck and friends, neighbors, and police would be unable to help her. [The victim] was placed in fear for her safety and immediately left the residence and called the police.”
Officer Thomas Reynolds reported that Narvaez verbally refused to come to the door when police knocked. The victim provided a key and officers reportedly entered to find Narvaez sitting on the couch with a multitool knife stabbed into the top of the table. The knife was reportedly within Narvaez’s reach.
Narvaez was reportedly argumentative and grabbed the knife in front of officers while seated on the couch. Police ordered Narvaez to put the knife down and he folded the knife closed before opening pliers piece of the multitool and tossing it back on the table.
After being read his Miranda rights, Narvaez denied making any threatening statements towards the victim and reportedly stated he would “never do that.” Narvaez said he was using the knife to remove portions of his laptop.
Narvaez was held in jail on a $50,000 bond until prosecutors dropped the case on October 1, 2025.
Robbery Case
On November 12, 2025, GPD officers arrested Narvaez for a robbery incident that occurred at ABC Liquor the week prior.
Narvaez entered the store and asked an employee to get him a liquor bottle of Don Julio that was behind the cabinet. The victim was holding the bottle when Narvaez, who was on camera, reached over the counter and snatched it out of their hands. Narvaez then walked out of the store without paying for the bottle. The victim recognized the suspect as a regular customer who previously stole from the store multiple times.
Six days before Narvaez pled and was sentenced, he wrote a letter to Colaw that states, “I am currently in the Alachua County Jail for the allegation of 'Robbery By Snatching' Consequently, I have been screened approved for the non-prison sanction of The Phenix House. There exist[s] a conflict where the State has offered that I enter a plea of guilt for 42 months [of] imprisonment as a Prison Release Re-offender ('PRR'), however, research of the case and Statute clearly evidences that the PR is inapplicable to me. The assistant public defender does not appear to put this Court on notice regarding this conflict, so I am requesting that this Court take into consideration the non-prison drug rehabilitation. This case clearly depict[s] addiction of alcohol abuse in which drug treatment is essential, and the tool available for rehabilitation would be best for this defendant.”
As of now, Narvaez remains in the Alachua County Jail.
