Staff report

ALACHUA, Fla. – Swanson Bernard Miller, 63, was arrested yesterday and charged with burglary and petit theft after allegedly stealing plywood from a home in a residential neighborhood in Alachua.

At about 5:51 p.m. on May 14, an Alachua Police Department officer responded to a home in the 15500 block of NW 136th Terrace, where the homeowner showed the officer surveillance camera footage that showed an older model Chevrolet SUV pulling a trailer into the front yard of the victim’s residence; a man got out of the SUV, walked to the front door, and loaded two sheets of OSB plywood and 20 assorted pieces of plywood into his trailer. The materials were valued at about $200.

Post Miranda, Miller reportedly admitted that he took the plywood because he saw it for several days in a row and “didn’t think they needed it,” but he wanted to finish his shed and needed plywood.

Officers reportedly recovered the plywood at the address listed on Miller’s driver’s license and returned it to the victim; the plywood was covered with fiberglass insulation and a tarp, “which appeared to be an attempt to conceal the wood from view.”

Because the plywood was within the curtilage of the victim’s home, Miller has been charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and petit theft.

Miller has nine felony convictions (non-violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has served one state prison sentence and was released in 1985. Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $12,500.

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.