Report by staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A legal practitioner from Collin, Texas, identified as 35-year-old Candice Shantell Patrick, found herself in custody following allegations of breaking into a residence in Gainesville. The incident unfolded while the homeowners were asleep. According to Patrick, her actions were driven by a desire to reclaim a “spiritual stick,” purportedly taken from her by one of the residents during a recent “Ancestral Spirits” gathering.
Officers from the Gainesville Police Department swiftly responded to the call at approximately 5:12 a.m. on June 22. The confrontation took place at St. Croix Apartments, located at 829 SW 5th Avenue. The residents reported being abruptly awakened by the sound of someone persistently pounding on their back door using a stick.
Following the initial disturbance, the intruder moved to the front of the apartment, where she proceeded to strike the windows with another stick she found nearby. Her actions resulted in one window shattering, which allowed her unauthorized entry into the apartment.
Surveillance footage from a doorbell camera reportedly captured the suspect exiting through the front door, only to re-enter the apartment shortly afterward. Police officers apprehended Patrick inside the home moments later. The series of events, from her entrance to her return inside, was documented on the victim’s doorbell camera.
The victims said they did not know Patrick, and they didn’t know why she was in their apartment. They said they never left their bedroom while Patrick was inside their residence, and they watched everything through the doorbell camera.
Post Miranda, Patrick reportedly said she just wanted her “spiritual stick” back from the victims’ apartment. She said she knew one of the victims, and he had taken her “spiritual stick” from a recent “Ancestral Spirits” conference. She reportedly would not say how she knew her “spiritual stick” was in the victims’ apartment.
Patrick has been charged with burglary of an occupied residence. She has no criminal history, and she told Court Services that she is an attorney in Texas who has been in Alachua County for about five days. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered her released on her 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.