GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eric Rashawn Washington, 40, has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading nolo contendere (no contest) to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, stemming from a 2023 incident outside a Circle K in Gainesville.
On September 18, 2023, Gainesville police responded to a disturbance at the Circle K located at 1515 N. Main Street around 2 a.m. The female victim reported she had offered to buy Washington a drink, but he added multiple items to the purchase. When she refused to pay for the extras and left the store, she said Washington forcefully took her purse and allegedly hit her in the face with a handgun during a confrontation.
She followed him back into the store, where she claimed he grabbed her and patted her down before bystanders separated them.
While initial charges included armed robbery and battery, those were dropped. Washington was formally charged in October 2023 with felon in possession of a firearm, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
On June 16, 2025, he entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced by Judge William Davis to three years in state prison, with 214 days credited for time served.
