Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eddie John Allen IV, 32, was arrested early November 9 after police said he kicked an apartment door while trying to get inside, causing an estimated $300 in damage at Village Crossing Apartments.
Gainesville Police Department officers were called to the complex at 501 NE 18th Street around 1:40 a.m. The victim told police that Allen had shouted at her while striking her bedroom window before moving to the apartment door, where he allegedly banged on it forcefully and demanded that she let him in.
According to the arrest report, the lower portion of the door had been caved in and showed shoe marks. The damage was estimated at approximately $300.
A witness told officers that he had been riding around with Allen, whom he said he did not know, when Allen drove to the victim’s apartment. The witness reportedly saw Allen yell through the window before going to the door and kicking it.
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Another witness who was inside the apartment said Allen initially struck the victim’s bedroom window and then began pounding aggressively on the apartment door while yelling for the victim to open it. The witness told a call-taker that Allen appeared to be trying to force his way through the door.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Allen reportedly told officers that he had been talking with the victim at her apartment and wanted to retrieve belongings he had left there. During transport to the jail, police said Allen acknowledged banging on the door but denied kicking it.
Allen, who is a registered sexual offender, faces charges of attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling and misdemeanor criminal property damage. Court records show five prior felony convictions, including one sexual offense, as well as five misdemeanor convictions, two of them involving violence. He has served two state prison sentences and was most recently released in 2024. Judge Lua Lepianka set bail at $60,000.
Arrest reports are accounts provided by law enforcement agencies. The charges described here come from the arrest report and/or court records and are allegations only. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
