In Gainesville, Florida, a man named Christopher Alexander Brown, aged 44, found himself under arrest last night following allegations of breaking into a nearby residence. The charges against him include burglary, criminal mischief from smoking within the premises, and possession of both burglary tools and illegal substances.

The incident unfolded around 6:50 p.m. on October 15, when an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a distress call from a homeowner who reported an intruder still present inside their residence. Upon arrival, the deputy encountered Brown, who allegedly admitted to smoking inside the house. He claimed to have left his lawn mower in the shed at the back of the property. Notably, Brown confessed to having no acquaintance with the homeowner and acknowledged that he had not been granted permission to enter the premises.

In Brown’s possession, authorities reportedly discovered a bag containing his birth certificate, a set of lock-picking tools, and a substance subsequently identified as methamphetamine. Scattered around the floor, near Brown’s belongings, were multiple cigarette butts, serving as evidence of his unauthorized presence.

Interestingly, Brown resides just a few houses away from the property he allegedly intruded upon, adding a peculiar twist to the narrative of this neighborhood disturbance.

Brown’s listed address is a few houses down from the victim’s home.

The victim said the cigarette butts had not previously been there, and the damage to the home from the cigarette smoke was estimated at about $600, along with damage to window blinds that was estimated at $100.

Brown was reportedly wearing a lanyard around his neck with a key to a padlock that secured the door of the shed behind the home. The victim said the padlock was different from the one she had used on the shed, and a lawn mower found inside the shed was not hers.

Post Miranda, Brown reportedly said the mower was not his, which contradicted his earlier statement that he had left his mower in the shed. He said multiple times that he had not broken into the home, and he said he had picked up the baggie of drugs off the ground and did not know what was in it.

Brown has been charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, possession of burglary tools, possession of a controlled substance, and property damage. He has 14 felony convictions (non-violent) and nine misdemeanor convictions (non-violent) and has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2019. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail on the burglary charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing. Judge Miller-Jones set bail at $55,000 on the other charges.

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.