Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Early this morning, 21-year-old Maurice Jacquez Johnson was taken into custody after allegedly pursuing an ex-girlfriend and her companion and attempting to force his way into her apartment.

At approximately 2:32 a.m. on December 21, officers from the Gainesville Police Department responded to a call at Addison Lane Apartments, located at 4117 SW 20th Avenue. Upon arrival, they reportedly discovered Johnson standing outside the ex-girlfriend’s apartment. The window screen was torn off, and the window itself was partially open. The front door of the apartment showed significant damage, leading the officer to believe that, had they not arrived in time, Johnson might have succeeded in breaking in.

The ex-girlfriend explained that she had recently ended her relationship with Johnson, who had been trailing her and a friend in his car for several hours. The two women recounted that after parking their car, Johnson blocked them in for about half an hour. Fearful, they remained in the vehicle until they managed to escape by driving across the grass.

Despite their efforts, Johnson allegedly continued to follow them, prompting them to drive erratically until they eventually managed to evade him. The ex-girlfriend noted that Johnson had the means to track her phone, and she believes they only lost him when her phone battery died.

After driving around the apartment complex to ensure Johnson’s vehicle was not in sight, the ex-girlfriend and her friend returned to her apartment. However, shortly after entering, Johnson began knocking on the door.

Johnson allegedly tried to force a window open, but a window lock kept him from opening it more than a crack. He allegedly started kicking the door, causing significant damage, but was unsuccessful in entering the apartment before the officer arrived.

Post Miranda, Johnson reportedly said the victim broke up with him, so he tracked her back to her residence, found her and her friend in the parked vehicle, and blocked them in with his vehicle. Johnson reportedly referred to the incident as “playing” with the victim and said he thought it was a game. He reportedly admitted to attempting to follow the victim and her friend, even after they evaded him. He said that after losing them, he waited in the complex and eventually walked to the victim’s apartment “to return her cat” but admitted to ripping off the window screen before trying to open the window. He reportedly admitted to kicking the door while knocking on it.

The victim’s friend reportedly told the officer she did not want to press any charges for the incident.

Johnson has been charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, false imprisonment, and stalking. He has no local criminal history; bail information is currently unavailable.

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.