Gainesville man arrested for burglary, arson, and theft of women’s underwear

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – James Dillen Shifrin, 33, was arrested early Monday morning after allegedly breaking into a mobile home, setting fire to it, stealing women’s underwear, and throwing a bottle of wine through the window of a different mobile home.

At about 2:28 a.m. on June 2, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies and Alachua County Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire at Oak Park Mobile Home Park (4000 SW 47th Street). The mobile home was fully engulfed and was a total loss.

Deputies went to the mobile home behind the one that was on fire to ask any residents to evacuate and found that one of the windows had been broken by a wine bottle. While speaking to the resident of the second mobile home, deputies noticed Shifrin walking between the mobile homes; he reportedly smelled of smoke and a sweet alcoholic beverage. When asked if he lived in the mobile home park, Shifrin reportedly said he did not. Shifrin was detained.

Deputies learned that Shifrin does live in Oak Park and that before the fire, he had been in another mobile home, where he had shared a bottle of wine with a woman. The woman reportedly said Shifrin had walked out of that mobile home with the wine bottle in his hand and that it was the same one that was found near the broken window. She also reportedly said that Shifrin returned to that mobile home after the fire and told her he had started a fire.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced four pairs of female underwear and a photo of a resident of the mobile home that was set on fire. The residents of that mobile home, who were out of town, reportedly confirmed that the underwear and picture were in their mobile home before the fire.

Shifrin was reportedly the person who called 911 to report the fire, and he told the call-taker that the fire started on the stove. The Fire Marshal confirmed that the fire started in the stove area.

Shifrin has been charged with first-degree arson, burglary of a dwelling, property damage over $200, loitering/prowling, and two counts of theft. He has three felony convictions (non-violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail on the two felonies, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge in that hearing sets bail, it will be added to the $200,000 Judge Miller-Jones set on the four misdemeanors, and otherwise he will be held without bail.

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.