Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Early this morning, 67-year-old Michael Scott Vicary was taken into custody following accusations of breaking into a occupied apartment close to the university campus and rummaging through the refrigerator and kitchen cupboards.
At approximately 2:19 a.m. on August 2, a police officer from the Gainesville Police Department was dispatched to an apartment complex located at 1235 NW 5th Avenue. One of the residents was alerted by strange noises coming from the kitchen, prompting her to investigate and find an unfamiliar man searching through the refrigerator and cabinets. She described the intruder as a white male, estimated to be between 70 and 80 years old, dressed in a flannel shirt.
Vicary, fitting the provided description, was discovered in the vicinity of the apartment building’s lobby. Additional officers located the victim’s work ID badge among Vicary’s possessions, and the resident confirmed his identity as the individual she had seen in her kitchen.
During a search conducted in connection with the arrest, officers reportedly found a metal water bottle and a glass cup, both of which belonged to the victims.
Post Miranda, Vicary reportedly confessed to entering the apartment because the door was unlocked, and he admitted to taking the victim’s badge before leaving the apartment. He said he does not live in the building and was just checking it out.
Vicary, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling and petit theft. He has no local criminal history, but he has an extensive criminal history over the past three years in Palm Beach County; he was most recently convicted of shoplifting on June 1 and sentenced to time served. Judge Denise Ferrero set bail at $150,000.
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.