Gainesville Police arrested a local man Monday after he reportedly burglarized a neighbor’s home and sold their belongings for drug money.
Emmanuel Markus Glaser, 28, reportedly broke into the bedroom of a home in the 800 block of NW 41st Ave. and stole $2,650 worth of items, including a television, laptop, cash and jewelry, according to a police report.
The owner, Laura Kennedy, 68, said she recently hired Glaser to mow her lawn and had mentioned a trip out of town.
"Be careful who you befriend," she said. "You just never know."
After the theft, Kennedy visited Value Pawn and Jewelry, located at 2360 N. Main St., and discovered that Glaser tried to sell her watch Friday, according to the report. The watch, Kennedy said, was a retirement gift to her father.
Police checked Glaser’s recent pawn transactions and found Kennedy’s gold necklace pawned at another shop. After his arrest, Glaser reportedly confessed to stealing and selling the goods to buy drugs, according to the report.
"We have restraints; we have covenants; we have rules and regulations, and our lives are governed by ethics and compassion," Kennedy said. "When you’re into drugs, all of that goes to the wayside."
Police arrested Glaser on charges of burglary, larceny, fraud, and dealing in stolen property. Authorities transported him to the Alachua County Jail where he remains as of press time in lieu of a $180,000 bond.
