More than a dozen people were arrested after being found at a county-owned Florida motel where officials found “horrific scenes” of damage.
The group had scaled a 10-foot fence and ripped boards off windows to secure access to the former Budget Inn on SW 13th Street in Gainesville, which was being converted into a homeless shelter.
Utility workers who arrived to service the meters tipped off Alachua County authorities after discovering that most of the devices had been stolen by people who had set up shop there, in addition to “significant” damage to the motel.
Officers were dispatched and arrested 19 people accused of causing damage to the building, engaging in drug activity and stealing electricity.
“It was just a very horrible scene that we found,” county spokesman Mark Sexton said.
More than a dozen people were arrested after being found at a county-owned Florida motel where officials found ‘horrifying scenes’ of damage
Riche Ghirawoo and Maria Wilkerson were among 11 men and eight women arrested by police at the scene and charged with offenses including criminal damage, drug use and stealing electricity.
Jonnita George and Darrell Shock
‘There were a lot of people there and there was a lot of damage to the facilities. They broke into the utilities,” Sexton said.
“There was a tremendous amount of drug paraphernalia and alcohol.”
‘No Trespassing’ signs were posted on site and the door to each unit was secured with door locks and master locks before being torn off.
“All of these preventive measures were negated by the forcible entry by the offending individuals,” the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office report said.
Officers spent three hours clearing all 36 rooms, some of which were barricaded from the inside, after being called to the site on Thursday morning.
Two people were arrested after running away and a minor was found living there without a legal guardian.
Several of those arrested had outstanding warrants, and some were charged with resisting without violence, drug possession and providing false identification information in initial trespassing charges.
Michael Wright and Darius Toliver
Amelia Close and Xavier Fayson
Derickj Sawyer and Christianna Thomas
A three-metre high fence with multiple locks and no trespassing signs did not serve as a deterrent
Lacy Morelock and Demetrius Mercer
Lot Crowley and Riham Ramadan
Jerome Mitchell and Donovan Grimes
Florida has the third-highest homeless rate in the country, with more than 27,000 people known to be unsheltered, in a state where housing prices have risen 55 percent since the pandemic.
Earlier this month, Pensacola residents complained about an “invasion” of squatters and homeless people who have left the city “dangerous” and “unhealthy” with huge piles of trash and open-air bathrooms.
Police in Alachua County had been called to the motel site more than 30 times this year, but this is the first time charges have been filed by the exasperated county, which bought the building for $2 million in 2020.
Police were also on the scene in February, when five people were suspected of breaking into eight units, resulting in water damage and broken doors and windows.
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Mark Sexton of Alachua County said, ‘We can’t afford any more damage to this place.’
Repairs are being made to the former squat and the county said a security guard has been hired
Three people were violated in that case, while two others were arrested, one on an out-of-county warrant and the other for drug possession. Gainesville.com reported.
The province has applied for another $3 million in funding to renovate it into homeless accommodations with efficient apartments and services on site.
“As we go through the process with the state, we cannot afford any further damage to this site because the more damage there is, the more this renovation is going to cost,” Sexton said.
“Generally speaking, we don’t feel that the best way to deal with homeless people is to put them in jail where they don’t get the help they need, but this was a truly egregious situation with thousands of dollars in damage and unsanitary circumstances. .’