Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Authorities have apprehended 34-year-old David Russell Nantz III from Newberry, following a warrant issued for his involvement in a residential burglary near the University of Florida campus.

On March 5, the homeowner alerted the Gainesville Police Department about a break-in. The culprit had shattered a rear window to gain access, making off with a laptop and headphones. Additionally, a sprinkler head and propane tank were taken from the home’s exterior.

Security footage from the vicinity allegedly captured two individuals loitering outside the property on March 4. At precisely 12:42 p.m., a silver vehicle appears at the scene, with Nantz emerging from the driver’s side. He is seen approaching the front of the residence, purportedly removing a sprinkler head from the landscaping.

Just eight minutes later, a woman exits the silver vehicle and approaches the driver’s side. Audio from the surveillance reportedly records her shouting at Nantz, “David! Put it back! I said, put it back! You’re not taking anything!”

The footage then shows Nantz placing an item into the car’s rear seat. The woman repeatedly removes it, only for Nantz to replace it each time, before finally reversing the car out of the driveway.

Three minutes after that, Nantz can be seen walking back toward the house, carrying an empty five-gallon bucket. A minute later, Nantz is seen walking to the silver car, with multiple items in the bucket. A minute later, he returns to the house, carrying a black duffle bag, and two minutes after that, he comes back without the bag, while the woman tells him to hurry up and says, “We have to go!”

Detectives found that the car is registered to Nantz’s wife, and her driver’s license photo reportedly matches the woman in the surveillance videos. Nantz’s driver’s license photo was used to identify him as the man in the videos.

Nantz has been charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft, and misdemeanor property damage. He has nine local misdemeanor convictions, mostly traffic offenses, and he was found mentally incompetent to proceed with two cases in 2022 but did not meet the criteria for commitment to a treatment facility. He was issued four Notices to Appear in 2025 for driving without a license, but all of the cases were dropped. He is facing a sworn complaint for stealing items from Home Depot in May 2025. In a March 11 warrant, Judge James Colaw ordered that Nantz be held without bail until trial.

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.