Starke Man Faces Restitution Hearing After Alleged Felony Vehicular Assault
A man from Starke who was convicted of felony property damage may be ordered to pay restitution at a hearing. It’s unclear how much money Kaleb Blayne Crawford, 25, could potentially owe the victim, but he was convicted of causing over $1,000 in damage to their property.
The incident occurred in December 2022 and Crawford was initially charged with aggravated assault but prosecutors dropped the count in a probation-plea deal.
Until last month, Crawford’s case was one of the oldest pending felony assault cases in the Alachua County court records system.
On December 18, 2022, Deputy Michael Ricks II charged Crawford with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (the deadly weapon being a vehicle) and property damage of $1,000+.
Ricks reported that he was driving on 7500 W. University Ave. when he saw two pick-up trucks driving erratically, prompting him to pull them both over.
The 19-year-old driver/victim said he was taking his girlfriend home when Crawford, her ex-boyfriend, was waiting near her residence. Based on the report, it’s unclear if he was able to drop her off safely or if she was still in the vehicle at the time of the alleged assault, but the driver was the only listed victim for both charges. After he drove away, Crawford reportedly chased after him in his own truck.
As the chase ensued, Crawford, reportedly own purpose, struck the rear passenger side of the victim’s vehicle with his own. Ricks described Crawford’s actions as intentional and malicious.
It doesn’t appear that Crawford fled after being pulled over but Ricks did not make an arrest on scene, instead charging Crawford via sworn complaint. Judge David Kreider signed a warrant for Crawford’s arrest a few months later and ordered that he be held on a $75,000 bond.
In March 2024, Crawford was sentenced to roughly three years in prison for charges out of Clay and Bradford counties—mostly drug related. According to the Florida Department of Corrections website, three of the charges occurred prior to the alleged assault; however, the three others, one of which being fleeing the police, occurred after the alleged assault.
In January 2026, Crawford was transferred to Alachua County Jail to finally face the years-old charges. He posted the $75,000 bond soon after his booking.
In August 2026, Crawford's public defender and the prosecution reached a plea agreement where they dropped the aggravated assault charge in exchange for a no contest plea, a conviction for felony property damage, court-ordered restitution to be paid to the victim and probation.
The restitution hearing will be held at 9:00 a.m. Thursday. It's unclear if Crawford will appear in person or if he waived his presence.
Crawford was previously charged with reckless driving in 2021 but prosecutors dropped the case.
