Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sandra Alice Norman, 52, was arrested earlier this week on warrants for theft and battery; she was charged with trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia at the time of her arrest, and now she has been charged with stealing credit cards from a car and using them to buy cigarettes.

On August 26, 2024, Judge Susan Miller-Jones sentenced Norman to 15 days in jail with credit for 15 days served after finding her guilty of trespassing; the same day, according to an arrest report, Norman moved into a group home. The next day, Norman allegedly asked to borrow another resident’s bicycle and bus pass, saying she would return them that evening. The victim told a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer that Norman never returned the items and had not returned to the group home.

On September 4, a man reported to GPD that Norman pushed him and tried to hit him; since she has previous battery convictions, this resulted in a sworn complaint for a felony battery charge.

A GPD officer saw Norman near the Walmart at 5700 NW 23rd Street on October 2 and arrested her for the warrants and for trespassing; she had been trespassed from the store indefinitely on April 4. A search incident to arrest reportedly produced burnt glass and metal tubes that are typically used to smoke illegal narcotics.

On September 19, residents of the neighborhood across NW 34th Boulevard from the Walmart began receiving fraud alerts from their credit card company. Remembering that the credit cards had been in the car, the victim went out to his car and found that it had been burglarized. The trunk was open, and items from the center console and glove compartment were strewn around the interior of the vehicle. A second victim’s wallet was reportedly missing, and a fraud alert was received on a second card.

The cards were reportedly used at the Chevron at 5708 NW 34th Boulevard, and the owner of the store provided surveillance video showing Norman using each card once, to purchase cigarettes. She allegedly attempted to use one of the cards a second time to buy 10 packs of cigarettes, but it was declined. The cards are reportedly distinctive and easy to identify in the surveillance video. Norman has been charged with burglary of a vehicle, felony petit theft, and fraudulent use of a credit card.

The arresting officer noted that Norman is well-known to many officers “as a very aggressive and problematic panhandler,” and GPD reportedly receives many calls about her. She reportedly spends a lot of time in the vicinity of the northwest Walmart, and the store also calls law enforcement frequently, reporting that she is trespassing and aggressively panhandling. The officer also reported that she has been identified as a suspect in several other burglary cases nearby.

Post Miranda, Norman reportedly identified herself in the Chevron surveillance video and admitted she had used the cards to buy cigarettes. She also reportedly admitted that she has been breaking into cars in the area recently to fund a drug habit.

Norman, who is described as homeless in court documents, has 19 felony convictions (one violent) and 36 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). She has served four state prison sentences, with her most recent release in September 2023. She is being held on at least $55,000 bail, but court documents are not uploaded on Saturdays.

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.