Charges added to man arrested last week for prowling at Wiles Elementary and Kanapaha Middle schools

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lawrence Mathew Brown, 33, was arrested on February 11 at Kanapaha Middle School and charged with loitering/prowling and resisting an officer after he was reportedly seen trying to cut locks off bicycles at Wiles Elementary. Now he has also been charged with attempted theft of an e-bike, possession of burglary tools, and property damage.

At about 12:48 p.m. on February 11, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call from the School Resource Officer (SRO) at Wiles Elementary, who said he had seen Brown trying to cut locks off of bicycles in the school’s bike storage area. The SRO reported that the suspect was a black man with facial hair, wearing a black jacket and black pants; he was also wearing a backpack and riding an electric scooter. The SRO reported that the suspect had left the elementary school, moving southbound on SW 75th Street.

A few minutes later, the SRO of Kanapaha Middle School reported that the suspect was riding the electric scooter in the middle school’s parking lot. The responding deputy made contact with Brown at the entrance of the middle school and detained him.

Post Miranda, Brown reportedly said he did not understand his rights and that he was not going to speak to the deputy; the deputy wrote in the arrest report that the purpose of reading Brown his Miranda warning was to give him the opportunity to dispel suspicions that he was loitering/prowling at an elementary school while school was in session.

The SRO at Wiles reportedly said the suspect had red bolt cutters that he placed in his backpack before riding away, and bolt cutters were reportedly found along the path Brown took between the two schools.

After Brown was arrested, it was discovered that an e-bike at the elementary school had fresh cuts in the chain securing it to a fence. The next day, the owner of the bike was contacted, and he wanted to file charges for property damage and attempted theft of the e-bike.

Brown has been charged with possession of burglary tools, resisting an officer without violence, attempted theft, property damage, and loitering/prowling. He has four felony convictions (none violent) and one misdemeanor conviction (non-violent) and has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2013. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,000 on the initial charges, and Judge Kristine Van Vorst added $35,000 in bail on the new charges.

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.