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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2026

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 29 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

‘I went through hell’: Former detainee alleges negligence at Deportation Depot RAFAEL CRESPO-GARCIA DESCRIBES MISTREATMENT IN NORTH FLORIDA DETENTION CENTER

By Angelique Rodriguez Alligator Staff Writer

Despite being from Havana and having built a life in America for the last three decades, Rafael Crespo-Garcia, 54, now lives in Mexico after being deported in January. Crespo-Garcia stays in the extra room of a stranger’s house, where he sleeps on a mattress on the floor — the only piece of furniture in the room. He’s still grappling, he said, with the lasting effects of being detained at the Baker Correctional Institution, better known as “Deportation Depot,” in Sanderson, Florida, about an hour north of Gainesville. From his detainment six months ago to the three months he spent in Deportation Depot to his eventual deportation, he alleges he experienced medical neglect, abuse and degradation. From Cuba to Baker County Crespo-Garcia came to America in 1991 in a raft as a Cuban refugee. He became a business

owner and a truck driver, settling into a long-term relationship along the way. On Oct. 20, 2025, he reported to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Orlando, as he had every year since 2005, for a check-in due to a criminal record from his involvement in two physical fights dating back to 1994. There, ICE agents arrested him. He was booked the next day and sent to Baker Correctional Institution. “I swear, I went through hell,” he said. “It’s so painful. … I cry every day.” He said the officers at Deportation Depot would often spray the inmates with pepper spray, sometimes for no reason. Previous reporting by the Associated Press describes multiple instances of guards pepper spraying inmates, including on Oct. 29 in an incident Crespo-Garcia said he was involved in. Baker County officials, in a statement to the Associated Press, said pepper spray was used by the guards because an inmate was refusing to return to their cell and got violent toward an officer. Crespo-Garcia only mentioned inmates yelling at of-

SEE RAFAEL, PAGE 4

GYMNASTICS

Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff

Florida gymnast eMjae Frazier performs on the floor during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship against Oklahoma, LSU and Minnesota, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. Read more in Sports on pg. 11.

Community effort reveals details into Alachua County Animal Resources investigation

responding to inquiries in this matter The organization faces allegations of animal abuse and unnecessary euthanasias from until the investigation is complete,” county

By Kaitlyn McCormack Alligator Staff Writer

Editor’s Note: This story contains mentions of animal cruelty, neglect and death. Alachua County Animal Resources volunteer Melissa Wokasch awaits the day her favorite shelter dogs will find forever homes. On Feb. 21, Wokasch saw one of her most beloved furry friends — Gala, a 6-year-old, 40-pound bulldog mix — for the last time. It wasn’t for the reason she hoped. “I can't think too hard about what happened to those dogs when I left the shelter, because it's not good,” Wokasch said. “I believe those dogs are dead.” When Alachua County Animal Resources opened its doors in 1987, the shelter often eu-

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT The Avenue

Story description finish with comma, The Chainsmokers kick off higher pg# education tour in Gainesville. Read more on pg. 6.

thanized animals after only a few days. In the 2010s, it shifted toward a no-kill mission. But now, staff confessions and volunteer outcry are raising questions about the shelter's commitment to no-kill. On March 2, the Board of County Commissioners received an email from former ACAR employee Anthony Friedell detailing a trend of misconduct and corruption from the shelter’s primary leadership, Gina Peebles and Brittany D’Azzo. The email triggered Alachua County’s whistleblower ordinance, which protects employees from retaliation and allows the county to open an investigation based on whistleblower claims. County Manager Michele Lieberman and county attorney Sylvia Torres launched an external investigation the next day. “I chose an external investigation option to ensure that this board, the county manag-

er and the public receive information that it needs from a credible, disinterested source,” Torres told county commissioners at their March 10 meeting. The allegations “We can no longer be silent,” Friedell wrote. “I, along with other technicians who have resigned recently, have decided to inform the Board of County Commissioners, the County Manager, and this community of why so many of us have departed and why more of us will continue to leave.” The over 5,000-word whistleblower email included 36 photos and screenshots of messages between staff and leadership. Alachua County officials declined to comment for this story. “To avoid any appearance of trying to influence this investigation, we are refraining

Opinions

Alligator editorial board says goodbye to the paper, pg. 7

communications director Mark Sexton wrote in an email. Shelter leadership struggles: Brittney D’Azzo and Gina Peebles According to Friedell’s email, ACAR’s previous shelter director was removed last August, around the same time the previous veterinarian quit. Assistant County Manager Gina Peebles, who worked in the county manager’s office for 11 years but had no publicly available experience in animal shelter work, was named interim director. Friedell speculated in the whistleblower email that the permanent director position was left vacant so current ACAR shelter supervisor Brittney D’Azzo could take it once

SEE ACAR, PAGE 4

Metro

Construction begins on $4.5 million Streatery site in downtown Gainesville, pg. 5

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