Editorial by Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a bizarre turn of events, Ha’mod Hikeem McNutt, aged 29, was taken into custody in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The incident occurred when McNutt allegedly entered an apartment in Sweetwater Square and meandered around for half an hour while the residents remained asleep. He was found carrying several condoms, with one in his pocket and a dozen more inside his bag.
On June 28 at approximately 6:30 a.m., officers from the Gainesville Police Department responded to a report from a female resident at Building N in Sweetwater Square Apartments, located at 3501 NE 15th Street. The woman recounted a harrowing moment where she awoke to find a stranger in the doorway of her room. Acting quickly, she informed another occupant, who swiftly closed the door before they contacted a family member for assistance.
The responding officer noted a rather unusual situation: seven individuals were asleep inside the apartment, none of whom recognized or had invited McNutt. It was later revealed that the door had been left unlocked, facilitating his unauthorized entry.
As police arrived on the scene, McNutt reportedly attempted to vacate the premises upon spotting the flashing lights, but his departure was thwarted as officers intercepted him before he could escape. During a search, officers discovered a condom in McNutt’s pocket, serving as a peculiar element in this strange episode.
Post Miranda, McNutt reportedly said someone he could not describe called to him to “come help me with something” while he was standing near Building P.
The officer noted that the two buildings are about 100 feet apart, and it was not reasonable that McNutt could have heard someone calling from behind a closed door at that distance.
McNutt reportedly said that once he was inside the apartment, he wanted to check on everyone and make sure everything was “chill.” He said he looked into each bedroom and was in the apartment for about 30 minutes. He said he was the only one awake, and he did not speak to anyone, including the person he said had called to him.
McNutt said he had a condom in his pocket because he met someone downtown and thought they were going to engage in sexual intercourse; he did not know whether that person lived at Sweetwater Square. The officer reported that over a dozen condoms were found in McNutt’s bag.
McNutt, whose address is listed as Building P at Sweetwater Square, has been charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling. He has two felony convictions (one violent); he was arrested in February for carrying two pistols on the UF campus, and he was subsequently charged with choking and hitting another inmate at the Alachua County Jail. At the time of his February arrest, he was a custodian at Buchholz High School, but he is currently unemployed. He entered pleas of nolo contendere in both cases in May and was sentenced to 18 months of probation, with adjudication of guilt withheld.
Judge Joy Danne 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.
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.