Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Roxanne Margret-Rose Fernandes, 20, of Alachua, and Hiliyah Samone Walker, 20, of Live Oak, were arrested early yesterday morning after allegedly trying to break into an occupied apartment.

At about 5:28 a.m. on December 13, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the Residences at Market West apartment complex (7320 SW 13th Road), where multiple people had called 911 to report that two women were trying to break into an apartment and shouting that they didn’t care if they got arrested. One witness reportedly made a video of Fernandes and Walker banging on the door and shouting; in the video, Walker appeared to be holding something silver that looked like a pipe. Another witness said Walker was hitting the door with her shoulder.

The responding officers reported that by the time they arrived, Fernandes and Walker had retreated to their vehicle outside the apartment; a silver pipe was reportedly found in the trunk of the vehicle.

The arresting officer reported that Walker’s cousin had been arrested earlier in the night for domestic battery on the woman inside the apartment and Fernandes was having “a secondary sexual relationship” with Walker’s cousin. When the women learned that Walker’s cousin had been arrested, they allegedly met up and traveled together to the apartment, knowing the victim would be there.

The victim was home and called 911, saying she could hear Fernandes and Walker banging on the door and trying to pry the door open.

The officer reported that the front door was heavily damaged by blunt force from the pipe and the attempts to pry the lock open.

Post Miranda, Fernandes reportedly said they went to the apartment to try to get inside and get some of Walker’s cousin’s belongings; she said she gave Walker a pipe and keys, which Walker used to try to break the door and the lock on the door.

Post Miranda, Walker reportedly said she only hit the door with her hand to get the victim’s attention but later admitted that she hit the door with a metal object, but only to get the victim’s attention.

Both defendants have been charged with attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling; neither has any local criminal history. Both have been released from the jail.

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.