Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ernest Green, 68, was arrested late last night and charged with burglary after a caller reported that a naked man was trying to break into houses and had succeeded in entering a neighboring house through a broken window; Green had been released from jail earlier in the day.

At about 10:30 p.m. on August 29, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call about a naked man trying to break into houses in the 6300 block of NE 39th Boulevard, several miles east of the jail. The caller said the man had broken a window in the unoccupied house next to his and was inside the house.

The deputy reportedly found Green standing next to a shattered window inside the house and told him to exit the house through the same window. Once Green was out of the house, he was arrested.

Post Miranda, Green reportedly said he had just been released from the Alachua County Jail that day and had been walking a long time. The deputy reported that Green “could not answer questions properly and could not explain why he broke into the residence.”

Green was previously charged with battery on a pregnant victim in 2019, while he was a patient at the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center. He was declared incompetent to stand trial multiple times but entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charge on August 28, was sentenced to 437 days in prison with credit for 437 days time served, and was released.

Green has five felony convictions (three violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release yesterday. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $75,000 and ordered a mental health evaluation.

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.