Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Chase Alexander Franchette, 33, was arrested early Friday morning after allegedly trying several times to get into a locked Gainesville Police Department building.
According to police, around 5 a.m. on June 13, three Gainesville Police Department officers encountered Franchette outside the agency’s Property and Evidence Building at 4585 NW 6th Street. Officers said he was attempting to open one of the front doors. When questioned about why he was there, Franchette reportedly claimed he believed his girlfriend was inside the building, but he was unable to give officers her name. Police said an officer instructed him to leave the property, and Franchette said he understood before walking away.
Not long afterward, two individuals alerted GPD officers that they had seen a man trying to open doors on the south side of the same building. Officers made contact with Franchette again, and police said he offered a different explanation this time, telling them he was looking for his cell phone.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Franchette allegedly changed his account once more. Police said he told officers he had come back to the building because someone in authority had given him permission to be there, while also repeating his earlier claim that he believed his girlfriend was inside. However, officers reported that he could not identify the person who had supposedly authorized his presence.
Police said Franchette was arrested on a charge of loitering and prowling after officers determined he could not provide a credible reason for repeatedly being on the property.
Franchette, whose address is listed as the former St. Francis House, has one previous arrest, for driving without a valid license in 2014, but the charge was dropped.
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.
