Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jessica Maria Hord, 41, was arrested yesterday and charged with property damage and drug possession after allegedly breaking into a car, accidentally locking her bag inside the car, then trying to use a rock to break the car window to get back in. She had been released from jail earlier in the day.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the parking lot of Tumblin Creek Park (600 SW Depot Avenue) at about 11:50 a.m. yesterday after a passerby reported that a woman was trying to use a rock to break the window of a car. The caller said he asked her what she was doing, and she said she was trying to “break into the car to try and hide from the devil.”

The officer made contact with Hord about 100 feet from the park, and post-Miranda, she reportedly said she did not own the car but had been inside it. She said she had planned on sleeping in the car and left her bag in it but accidentally locked it as she was getting out.

The officer contacted the owner of the vehicle, who said he did not know Hord and did not give her permission to be in the car. He said nothing appeared to be missing from the car. However, the damage to the car was estimated at about $500.

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A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a baggie containing about 0.5 grams of “molly.”

Hord has eight felony convictions (none violent) and 12 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). She has served five state prison sentences, with her most recent release in November 2022. She was arrested on May 13, 2023, for drug possession and trespassing in a City park after hours; she entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charges and was sentenced to 180 days in the Alachua County Jail. Jail staff told Alachua Chronicle that Hord was released yesterday after being incarcerated from May 13 to October 8, only 148 days.

Judge Walter Green set bail at $10,000 but noted that Hord may be eligible for release on her own recognizance if she is accepted into the Drug Court program.

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.