GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alex James McGlothlin, 42, was taken into custody early Thursday after authorities said he entered a screened pool area in the fenced backyard of an Avalon residence.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies were called at approximately 1:28 a.m. on October 31 after a woman reported seeing an unfamiliar man looking at her through the home’s back door. She told deputies the man was inside the pool enclosure in her fenced backyard.
Deputies established a perimeter around the property and soon heard a man’s voice coming from the backyard. After the woman confirmed no one was authorized to be there, deputies located McGlothlin lying on a trampoline.
According to deputies, McGlothlin claimed the home belonged to his aunt.
When officers told him to leave the trampoline and lie on the ground, McGlothlin got down but allegedly refused to follow the second command. He slowly moved away from deputies, then ran toward the backyard fence.
A deputy deployed a Taser, causing McGlothlin to fall. He reportedly tried to stand again, prompting a second Taser deployment. McGlothlin then followed the deputies’ commands.
During a search after his arrest, deputies found a folding pocketknife in the front pocket of McGlothlin’s clothing.
Once McGlothlin was detained, the woman told deputies that a security camera notification had alerted her to activity near the back door. When she looked outside, she saw a white man staring through the window from inside the pool enclosure. She said he asked her for water, and she responded by shaking her head. The man then moved beside the door and appeared to hide in the corner before walking farther into the backyard and out of her view.
McGlothlin faces charges of armed burglary, resisting an officer without violence and prowling. Authorities said he has no local criminal history, while his complete record was unavailable because those documents are not posted on weekends. Judge Adam Lee ordered McGlothlin held without bail while the State Attorney’s Office seeks to keep him jailed without bail through trial. If that request is denied, the judge will determine bail at the hearing.