Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joseph Patrick McLaughlin III, 41, was arrested early yesterday morning after allegedly kicking in the door of two apartments at Greystone Luxury Apartments.

At about 5:59 a.m. on April 7, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Greystone Luxury Apartments (911 SW 6th Avenue) and reported that McLaughlin had entered through the back door of the building and kicked the door of one apartment completely off the frame before pushing his way past the threshold of the doorway. Two residents reportedly pushed from the inside to prevent him from fully entering the apartment, and McLaughlin allegedly moved to a second apartment, kicked in the door, and entered the apartment.

McLaughlin allegedly went into the bathroom of the second apartment and knocked some items off a shelf before he saw one of the apartment’s residents holding a knife and the two residents from the first apartment, who had come to help. McLaughlin reportedly fled from the building, and officers located him and arrested him outside the building.

All three victims reportedly identified McLaughlin as the person who had kicked in their doors and entered their apartments.

McLaughlin, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with two counts of burglary of an occupied dwelling. He has 11 felony convictions (four violent) and 18 misdemeanor convictions (three violent); he has served six state prison sentences, with his most recent release on March 28, 2025. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial, and ordered a mental health evaluation.

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.