GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eddie John Allen IV, 32, was arrested early this morning after police say he kicked in part of an apartment door while trying to enter Village Crossing Apartments, causing an estimated $300 in damage.
Gainesville Police Department officers were called to the complex at 501 NE 18th Street around 1:40 a.m. on November 9. According to the alleged victim, Allen shouted at her while striking her bedroom window before moving to the apartment door, where he reportedly pounded on it and demanded that she let him inside.
An officer observed that the lower section of the door had been caved in and appeared to have shoe marks. The damage was estimated at approximately $300.
One witness said he had been riding around with Allen, although he claimed not to know him. The witness reportedly told police that Allen drove to the apartment, yelled at the woman through her window and then began kicking the door.
Another witness who was inside the apartment said Allen initially struck the victim’s bedroom window before aggressively hitting the front door and yelling for her to open it. The witness reportedly told a call-taker that Allen appeared to be trying to force his way inside by kicking down the door.
After being read his Miranda rights, Allen allegedly told officers that he had been talking with the victim at the apartment and wanted to retrieve belongings he had left there. During transport to jail, he reportedly acknowledged banging on the door but denied kicking it.
Allen, who is a registered sexual offender, faces charges of attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling and misdemeanor property damage. His criminal record includes five felony convictions, including one sexual offense, and five misdemeanor convictions, two of which were violent. He has also served two state prison sentences and was most recently released in 2024. Judge Lua Lepianka set bail at $60,000.