Gainesville police arrested two young men on Memorial Day for allegedly breaking into someone’s home and stealing their dog.
A witness saw Kaylan Gandy, 22, and Deven Collins, 21, allegedly knocking on the front door of a house along Northwest Eighth Avenue. According to the report, they tried to turn the door knob, but it seemed to be locked.
The witness stated she lost sight of Gandy and Collins when they walked around to the back of the house. While they were out of sight, she reportedly heard four “pops” that sounded like glass breaking.
Gandy and Collins were then reportedly seen leaving the back of the house and walking down an alley that connects to the Servants of Christ Anglican Church. According to the GPD report, an officer made contact with them in the church parking lot at around 3:30 p.m.
The victim’s dog was reportedly with them, and Collins had a puncture tool in his pocket. When the GPD officer looked over the fence of the victim’s house, he saw broken glass. The officer then jumped over the fence and saw that the back door was open.
According to the report, fresh shoe prints were on the back porch, but no one was home.
The victim stated over the phone that he was on vacation, and Gandy and Collins shouldn’t have been at his home. He spoke to the person watching his house, and they said the back door was left open for the dog. The victim reportedly said the glass wasn’t broken when he left.
Gandy told police that he and Collins knew the victim’s son. He said they went to see if the son was home.
The victim told the officer that his son hadn’t lived in his home for over a year, and his son had been in prison the whole time.
According to their statements, Gandy and Collins walked to the back and, seeing that the sliding glass door was open, yelled for the victim’s son. Since the victim’s son wasn’t home, they reportedly went back to their car that was parked in the church parking lot.
Collins told the officer that the dog followed them when they left. Both he and Gandy denied going into the house or breaking the glass.
On the way to jail, Collins said he and Gandy went to the house to get cannabis plants that were allegedly growing in the victim’s residence.
According to jail records, Gandy’s bond has been set at $75,000. Collins’ bond is set at $25,000. They were charged with burglary to an unoccupied structure and criminal mischief.
Follow Jessica Curbelo on Twitter @jesscurbelo and contact her at jcurbelo@alligator.org.
