Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Christopher Edward Sola, 34, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with burglary, grand theft, and 10 counts related to pawning the stolen items after allegedly breaking into the home of a former employer and stealing items worth more than $18,000.

On April 26, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a home in Buckingham South, where the owners said that when the husband came home from work, he noticed that a light they normally leave off was on. As he entered the master bedroom, he saw the couple’s belongings strewn across the floor and found a pane of glass in an exterior door broken so the door could be unlocked from the inside. The property damage cost $1,250 to repair.

The stolen items included jewelry, watches, a laptop, shoes, sports equipment, and sports memorabilia.

When asked who would know details about their house, the couple said that Sola, a former employee, had done jobs for them at the house and they didn’t know whether he would steal from them, but they couldn’t think of anyone else.

The deputy checked law enforcement databases for pawn shop transactions and reportedly found that Sola had pawned a number of the items at two Gainesville pawn shops on three consecutive days, starting on the day of the burglary.

The victims reportedly confirmed that the items were theirs, but some items had already been sold. The pawn tickets were reportedly signed by Sola and included his thumbprint and driver’s license number.

Sola has been charged with burglary, property damage, theft over $10,000, five counts of dealing in stolen property, and five counts of fraudulently pawning items.

Sola is also facing sworn complaints related to an April 3 hit-and-run incident in which he allegedly ran a stop sign, hit another vehicle, yelled at the victims, and left on foot. The responding Gainesville Police Department officer also cited him for driving with a suspended license, having the wrong tag on his vehicle, and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Sola has juvenile convictions between 2003 and 2005 and one adult misdemeanor conviction (non-violent). Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held on $62,500 bail.

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.