Newberry man arrested after manhunt and school lockdowns

Staff report

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Murray Edward Sapp, 68, was arrested yesterday after a four-hour manhunt that led to the lockdown of two Newberry public schools.

At about 8 a.m., Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call from Sapp’s ex-girlfriend, who said Sapp had thrown her to the ground while she was gathering her belongings after telling him she was moving out. She reportedly told deputies that Sapp had removed items from a safe before leaving the house with two bags. She said he also took the spare keys to her truck, and on his way out of the house, he shoved her again and snatched her phone from her hand when she said she was going to call 911.

An ASO K-9 team located Sapp in the woods after noon, and Sapp was reportedly bitten by the K-9 after ignoring “numerous” commands to give himself up.

Newberry Elementary School and Newberry High School were placed in “secure mode” during the manhunt “out of an abundance of caution,” according to ASO Public Information Officer Art Forgey. Sapp has been charged with domestic battery, robbery by sudden snatching, and resisting an officer without violence. He has two felony convictions (one violent) and nine misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Court records state that he has served one state prison sentence, but the release date is listed as “unknown,” and a search for his name does not produce any results on the Florida Department of Corrections website (his most recent felony conviction was in 1978).

Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $95,000 and ordered Sapp to maintain an alternate residence; he is also prohibited from possessing weapons or firearms.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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