GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Stacie Nicole Edwards, 29, was arrested Thursday morning after allegedly breaking into a Gainesville home, damaging surveillance equipment, and stealing property.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, the homeowner noticed Edwards on her interior security cameras around 10:40 a.m. on November 20 while she was away. Edwards had reportedly forced her way inside, then destroyed the cameras, leaving only partial footage of her movements. The victim told officers that the video captured Edwards leaving with a bulging plastic bag she did not have when she entered.
Police searched the residence and issued a BOLO for Edwards. She was later spotted near the Wawa on NW 13th Street wearing the same clothing seen in the footage, though the bag was no longer in her possession. Officers reported that Edwards ran when approached, but a detective in an unmarked vehicle later located her in a neighborhood near the burglarized home. Patrol units arrived soon after and placed her under arrest.
A search conducted at the time of her arrest reportedly uncovered three football trading cards belonging to the victim, along with 3.7 grams of marijuana, 1.8 grams of methamphetamine, and a glass pipe commonly used for meth.
Edwards, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace in recent records, now faces charges including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, possession of a controlled substance, possession of under 20 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia possession, theft, and property damage. Although she has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 2016, she has only one felony conviction. Earlier this year, drug charges and a separate burglary complaint were dropped, and she is also facing a pending grand theft complaint involving a stolen bicycle on the University of Florida campus.
Judge Jonathan Ramsey set her bail at $30,000.
