Melanie Sinclair, All-American Gymnast and Alleged Gun Ring Member

Normally, Melanie Sinclair gets kudos for her beauty and grace as a nine-time All-American gymnast for the University of Florida; she’s been an integral part of the Gators team that has been to the NCAA Super Six in each of her three years, and has scored three perfect 10.0s for her uneven bars routine. But now the Independent Florida Alligator is reporting that Sinclair has been arrested, and police say it’s for her role in a more sinister squad: A gun ring.↵↵⇥⇥⇥⇥A member of the UF gymnastics team was arrested Tuesday after police say she was storing items that were stolen during multiple burglaries.⇥⇥⇥↵⇥↵⇥⇥⇥⇥Melanie Sinclair, 22, was charged with grand larceny of firearms, unarmed burglary and grand theft of more than $300, according to a Gainesville Police Department report.⇥⇥⇥↵⇥

↵⇥⇥⇥⇥⇥⇥↵⇥↵⇥⇥⇥⇥Police found nine shotguns and rifles, two computers and a safe so large it took four officers to remove it from Sinclair’s apartment during a search.⇥⇥⇥↵⇥

↵↵↵The Gainesville Sun reports that police say Sinclair is the girlfriend of Bud Louis Williams, who was arrested last week while walking through the parking lot of Sinclair’s apartment complex with a loaded shotgun. It seems that Sinclair’s apartment was searched then, revealing not only guns but a flat-screen television and two laptops that appeared to be stolen. But police decided to go after Sinclair only after a taped conversation between Sinclair and Williams -- who, by the way, is a convicted felon who was released from state prison in 2008 after serving two years for robbery and burglary convictions -- in which Williams suggested she deny knowing about the guns before his arrest.↵

↵↵More frightening for me, as a Gainesville resident, is the harrowing quote from Lt. Keith Kameg, who told the Sun, “Clearly, these guns didn’t fall from the sky. We know that some people in Gainesville trade guns like candy, so it may take a while to trace where these guns are from.” I guess I’ll just have to take solace that this ring doesn’t involve Ronnie Wilson yet.↵

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