Gainesville man arrested for attempted burglary and property damage after allegedly trying to break into ex-girlfriend’s apartment

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brice Simeon Daniels, 24, was arrested early this morning and charged with attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling and property damage after allegedly trying to break into the back door of his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and then breaking a window. He is also facing a sworn complaint for punching the same victim in the face and then choking her and breaking her phone in June; at the time of the incident, a warrant had not been issued for those charges, and he has not yet been booked on those charges.

The victim told a Gainesville Police Department officer that Daniels came to her back door and argued with her through the door; she said she asked him to leave, but he entered the door code and tried to open the door while she tried to keep it closed. She said she locked the door and he walked away briefly but then came back and tried again to unlock and open the door.

The victim said she was afraid Daniels would harm her due to a previous incident in which Daniels allegedly punched her in the face while she was sleeping, then choked her and broke her phone when she tried to call 911; a sworn complaint was filed for that incident on June 24.

The victim said that as she continued to try to hold the door shut, she saw Daniels look at a neighbor and say, “Watch this,” then he moved over to the window and broke it. She said that she had moved to the window to watch Daniels, and she sustained a few cuts when the window broke. The victim estimated the damage at about $1,000.

A neighbor reportedly told the officer that he was outside when he heard two people arguing; when he came around the side of the victim’s apartment, he heard glass break and saw Daniels standing in front of the window, holding his hand.

Daniels was arrested in the 100 block of NE Waldo Road about an hour and a half later.

Post Miranda, Daniels reportedly said he and the victim had spoken by phone earlier, and she had asked him to come back so they could talk. He said, however, that he never went to the victim’s apartment after the call, did not try to go into the victim’s apartment, and did not break the window.

The officer reported that Daniels had a small cut on one finger, and Daniels reportedly said he was injured at work.

Along with the pending sworn complaint, Daniels received a citation in March for driving with a suspended license and was in court this week for that case. He served one state prison sentence for carjacking out of Palm Beach County and was released in May 2022. Judge David Kreider set bail at $510,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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