A woman was found sleeping on a man’s couch after burglarizing his home on Northeast Fifth Avenue on Saturday, then gave her 19-year-old daughter’s name when she was arrested by Gainesville Police, according to the arrest report.
Janice Williams, 34, was charged with unarmed burglary to an unoccupied conveyance, burglary of a dwelling, grand theft from a dwelling and giving false name or ID to law enforcement officers.
The victim was arrested June 27 and taken to Alachua County Jail, according to the report. When he was arrested, he called his sister and told her to come and get the keys to his apartment so she could check on it.
On Friday around 2:30 p.m., the victim’s nephew went to the apartment, took a shower and left, according to the report. He locked the front door but believed he left a window open in one of the bedrooms.
On Saturday around 4:30 p.m., the victim’s sister went to check on the apartment and found Williams asleep on the living room sofa, according to the report.
Williams was allegedly sleeping next to two bags of household items containing about $75 worth of food, about $150 worth of men’s clothing and random items from the kitchen and bedroom. The sister checked with the nephew to make sure the apartment was in order and all the food was in the kitchen when he left.
Before leaving the apartment, the sister watched Williams open the driver side door of her Ford SUV without her permission and take her purse, according to the report. Williams left before officers arrived, and a check of the SUV found items on the ground that were previously inside the vehicle.
The victim was told what happened and said he did not know Williams and did not give her permission to enter his apartment or take any of his things, according to the report.
Williams was found at 1500 NE First Ave., according to the report. After being read her Miranda Rights, Williams said she had gotten permission to sleep at the apartment before the victim went to jail.
The nephew told police he saw Williams two days before, according to the arrest report. He said he told Williams the victim was arrested and that she didn’t know, which contradicted what she told police about having the victim’s permission.
An officer spoke to another witness Sunday around midnight. The witness told officers that Williams falsely used her name instead of Williams’ real name. She said Williams is her mother and did not give her permission to use her information.
Williams has an active warrant in her name for possessing and using drug paraphernalia, according to the Alachua County Clerk of Court website.
Williams remains in Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $9,000 bail.
While a Google Maps search of the victim’s address shows a house, a records clerk at GPD confirmed the residence might be a duplex or quad, making it an apartment.
Follow Devoun Cetoute on Twitter @devoun_cetoute and contact him at dcetoute@alligator.org.
