Gainesville man arrested for stalking and burglary

Staff report

Updated on December 22 with criminal history and bail information.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Maurice Jacquez Johnson, 21, was arrested early this morning after allegedly following an ex-girlfriend and her friend and trying to kick down the door to the ex-girlfriend’s apartment.

At about 2:32 a.m. on December 21, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Addison Lane Apartments (4117 SW 20th Avenue) and reportedly found Johnson standing outside the victim’s apartment, with the window screen ripped off and the window cracked open. There was also significant damage to the front door of the apartment, to the point that the officer believed that Johnson would have entered the apartment if the officer had not arrived quickly.

The victim reportedly said she had recently broken up with Johnson, and he had been following her and her friend in his vehicle for several hours; the victim and her friend both said that Johnson pulled behind them after they parked their car, and he blocked them in for about 30 minutes. They said they were afraid to get out of the car during that period, and they eventually drove through the grass to escape.

However, Johnson allegedly pursued them, so they drove “erratically” and eventually lost him. The victim said Johnson had the ability to track her phone, and she believed they were able to lose Johnson because her phone died.

The victim and her friend went to the victim’s apartment after driving around the complex to check for Johnson’s vehicle. They did not see his vehicle, but shortly after they went into the apartment, Johnson started knocking on the door of the apartment.

Johnson allegedly tried to force a window open, but a window lock kept him from opening it more than a crack. He allegedly started kicking the door, causing significant damage, but was unsuccessful in entering the apartment before the officer arrived.

Post Miranda, Johnson reportedly said the victim broke up with him, so he tracked her back to her residence, found her and her friend in the parked vehicle, and blocked them in with his vehicle. Johnson reportedly referred to the incident as “playing” with the victim and said he thought it was a game. He reportedly admitted to attempting to follow the victim and her friend, even after they evaded him. He said that after losing them, he waited in the complex and eventually walked to the victim’s apartment “to return her cat” but admitted to ripping off the window screen before trying to open the window. He reportedly admitted to kicking the door while knocking on it.

The victim’s friend reportedly told the officer she did not want to press any charges for the incident.

Johnson has been charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, false imprisonment, and stalking. He has no criminal history, and Judge Julie Johnson set bail at $35,000.

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.