Gainesville man arrested for breaking into home and spraying BBQ sauce on walls and furniture before house caught fire

Staff report

Updated on December 3 with bail information.

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Evan Hunter Hammock, 20, of Gainesville, was arrested yesterday morning after allegedly breaking into a house and spraying barbecue sauce on the walls and furniture before the house caught on fire; arson charges may be filed.

At about 5:47 a.m. on November 27, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the Newberry home after a fire was reported and learned that earlier in the night, Hammock allegedly entered the house, took multiple bottles and jars of condiments from the refrigerator, and sprayed the contents over multiple walls, the couches, and a bed. The deputy identified two of the substances as barbecue sauce, matching containers found on the floor in the house.

After Hammock allegedly burglarized and vandalized the house, he reportedly called 911 to report that the house was on fire. When the deputy arrived, he reported that Hammock was in the driveway, with visible soot on his face and around his nostrils; the deputy reported that this indicated that Hammock had been inside the house after the fire started. The deputy also noted that Hammock had stains on his clothing that were consistent with at least one of the barbecue sauces.

At first, Hammock reportedly said he had spent the night at a nearby home; he said he was on the back porch of that house when he “smelled an electrical fire,” so he ran “knees-to-chest” to the house to help the homeowner. He said he “kicked the front door in” and was met with “straight black” smoke, so he crawled through the house, trying to find the homeowner or anyone else who might be inside. He said he used a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put out the fire.

Deputies contacted the homeowner, who said she had moved to a different home; she and a witness showed deputies their phones, which had multiple missed phone calls from Hammock in the hour before the fire was reported. The witness also reportedly had a video that the owner of the neighboring home sent him, showing Hammock inside the house before the fire. The camera was pointed at the floor and showed boots that were identical to the boots Hammock was wearing when he spoke with deputies. Brown liquid could also be seen on the floor, and the text message accompanying the video reportedly said, “[Hammock’s] off the rails. He’s trashing [the homeowner’s] house.”

When confronted about the calls and the video, Hammock reportedly admitted, post Miranda, that he had poured condiments inside the homeowner’s house but said this type of “prank” was “common” among his group of friends; he claimed that the homeowner or witness had previously put tuna in his truck.

The homeowner and witness denied that they had ever done anything like that and said this type of activity was not common in their group of friends.

Hammock reportedly repeated, post Miranda, that he had forced his way into the home after noticing a fire, but the deputy noted that there was no damage to the house’s doors.

The damage to the house from the condiments was estimated at about $3,000, but that does not include damage from the fire and smoke.

The State Fire Marshal is investigating the fire, and arson charges may be filed when that investigation is complete.

Hammock has been charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and property damage over $1,000. He has no local criminal history. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial. On December 3, Judge Denise Ferrero denied the motion and set bail at $135,000, with a requirement for a GPS monitor before release.

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.