Jacksonville woman arrested for trying to break into vacant home and for stealing security cameras

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dana Nichole Pate, 40, was booked into the Alachua County Jail yesterday on a 2023 warrant for attempted burglary and petit theft; she allegedly tried to break into a vacant home and stole three security cameras when she realized the cameras were capturing her activities.

According to a sworn complaint filed by a Gainesville Police Department officer, Pate entered Archer Beauty Supply (3501 SW 34th Street) at about 3:20 p.m. on May 1, 2023, and stole two wigs with a total value of about $110. Charges in that case were later dropped, although a store employee reportedly took pictures of both suspects.

After Pate and her unknown companion left the store, they reportedly left in a U-haul truck. About an hour later, security cameras at a vacant home that was being remodeled reportedly captured Pate and her companion trying to enter the house through a sliding glass door. When Pate realized she was being recorded, she allegedly stole three Blink cameras valued at $350. The recordings reportedly show Pate wearing one of the stolen wigs.

Fingerprints taken from the sliding glass door reportedly matched Pate’s fingerprints, and detectives matched photos of her from a law enforcement database with the recordings from both the beauty supply store and the house.

Pate, whose occupation is listed as “exotic dancer,” has two felony convictions (none violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (none violent); she is on probation in Duval County for grand theft of a motor vehicle. She was released from state prison yesterday and transferred to Alachua County, and she has a warrant out of Duval County for violation of probation. Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $125,000.

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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