A Gainesville Police Department officer was arrested Oct. 28 after allegedly breaking into his girlfriend's home and strangling her following a night out.
Christopher Bivins, a 29-year-old GPD officer and Gainesville resident, was charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, battery by strangulation, grand theft of $750 or more but less than $5,000 and criminal mischief, according to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Bivins' girlfriend and her friends went to Simons, a nightclub, on Oct. 27 when she received a text from Bivins. He said he was at the club and had paid for a private area for her friends and her, according to the police report.
The two left the club around 1:45 a.m. and got into an argument on the way to their cars. The two then went in separate directions to go home, according to the police report.
While driving home, Bivins' girlfriend received several calls from the front gate of her apartment complex saying that her boyfriend was trying to enter the property. When she arrived, she noticed Bivins' black truck parked across the street at a Tires Plus, according to the police report.
Walking upstairs, Bivins' girlfriend noticed her door was kicked in, the apartment was in disarray and Bivins was standing in the living room. After confronting him, Bivins grabbed her by the neck and forced her to the floor.
Unable to yell, Bivins girlfriend felt him kneel on her before he released his grip and stepped back toward the kitchen counter, according to the police report.
The woman was able to retrieve her car key and fled to her mother’s home in Trenton, Florida, according to the report.
After returning to her home around 10:15 a.m. she noticed many of her belongings were thrown over her balcony and a variety of her Apple items were missing, according to the police report.
Sheriff’s deputies located Bivins on 2400 SW 24th St. near Metro Diner and Crunch Fitness. During questioning, Bivins said he remembers being heavily intoxicated and parking at the Tires Plus, but he didn’t recall going into his girlfriend's apartment, according to the police report.
Bivins is being held at the Alachua County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to court records.
GPD declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Contact Jordan Ramos at jramos@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JordanR68971799.
Jordan Ramos is a fourth-year journalism major who spends his time singing in two different choirs and his a cappella group.
