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Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jesse Paul, a 21-year-old resident of Palatka, was detained yesterday following accusations of harassing staff at a local apartment complex.
On March 16, authorities from the Gainesville Police Department were called to Lexington Crossing Apartments. According to the victims, Paul had applied to rent an apartment. However, on March 12, prior to his application approval, he allegedly broke into a model unit, using it to sleep and shower. Initially, the apartment management chose not to press charges, opting instead to issue a trespass warning against him.
Despite the warning, Paul reportedly persisted in contacting the leasing office through calls and texts, ignoring instructions to redirect any communication to the corporate office via email. While at the leasing office, the responding officer witnessed Paul making three phone calls within a 14-minute span, and an employee reported receiving roughly six text messages over several days. Notably, one message allegedly included a gun emoji.
Paul now faces harassment charges for his persistent attempts to contact and intimidate the leasing staff. During his interaction with Court Services, he stated that he resides in Palatka and had been in Alachua County for just one day. With no prior criminal record, Judge Meshon Rawls decided to release him on his own recognizance.
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.