Rape Suspect Arrested at Grace Marketplace
Update | Feb 27, 2026: Added and reorganized information.
Although he was initially charged with sexual battery, the case was resolved on June 25, 2025, with Rodney Gillis pleading no contest to—and being convicted of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony in a plea deal accepted by Judge Denise Ferrero and signed off on by prosecuting attorney Nicole Reed.
Gillis is serving his sentence in the Florida State Prison West Unit with a scheduled release date of June 6, 2029, as he received credit for roughly a year he spent in jail in pretrial detention.
On August 11, 2024, Rodney Lee Gillis, 43, was arrested at Grace Marketplace and charged with sexual battery after he raped a woman in a tent near the homeless shelter.
The victim had moved to the shelter to live with her aunt about five days prior. The victim was followed by Gillis into her tent, and he reportedly committed sexual battery and rape against her.
Gillis’ arrest report says he was arrested at Grace Marketplace, registers his address to Grace Marketplace, and reports the incident occurred at the address of Grace Marketplace.
Executive Director at Grace Marketplace, Jon DeCarmine, told the Alachua Chronicle that Gillis wasn’t a resident at Grace and hadn’t received homeless outreach services from any organization since 2021. He said that many non-residents use Grace Marketplace as their registered address to receive mail. He added that the offense "happened in the woods between GRACE and Tacachale, an area maintained by the City that is completely separate from GRACE services. As a general rule, if you ever see a police report referencing a person ‘living in a tent,’ that is not something that happened at GRACE."
About two days after the rape, the victim told police. She gave an accurate description of Gillis and was able to positively identify him in a photo-lineup.
According to Gillis' police interview cited in the report, he arrive to Grace the same day he committed the crime, which he claimed was consensual sex.
Gillis also claimed the victim’s aunt was outside the tent the entire time.
The arrest report states that "other residents of Grace said" the victim's aunt "has been exploiting" the victim and "selling sex with her in exchange for drugs."
