Homeless man arrested for breaking into business through roof vent, causing $10,000 in damage
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ted J. Stiemann, 37, was arrested early yesterday morning after allegedly breaking into the Care Spot on Archer Road through a roof vent, causing $10,000 in damage to the business, and attempting to steal various items.
A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the urgent care office at about 6:50 a.m. when the office manager reported that she found Stiemann inside the business when she arrived to open the office. She said Stiemann had loaded up a wheelchair with items and was holding a large butcher knife in one hand and a laptop in the other hand. After she confronted him, he reportedly fled on foot.
Officers reportedly found Stiemann at an abandoned building across Archer Road; he matched the description provided by the office manager except that he was wearing a wrist brace and walking with a cane, but she was unable to positively identify him. She reportedly said later that the wrist brace and cane had thrown her off.
Stiemann reportedly refused to give officers his name, so a detective responded to the scene to speak with him; after a brief conversation, Stiemann reportedly told the detective his name was “Deter VonnStiemann,” but the name did not produce any results in a search of law enforcement databases. Florida Highway Patrol responded with a fingerprint system, but that also produced no results.
A picture of Stiemann produced a match to an Illinois booking photo.
After officers had his real name, Stiemann reportedly told the detective a second time that his name was “Deter VonnStiemann,” but when the detective asked if he was “Ted J. Stiemann,” he reportedly said he had a twin brother. After the detective told him he could be charged with providing a false name to a law enforcement officer, he allegedly said again that his name was “Deter VonnStiemann.”
A search of Stiemann’s backpack, incident to arrest, reportedly produced a set of keys and a brace filled with cash; the office manager reportedly said the keys had been in a drawer at Care Spot and the cash had been in a locked room inside Care Spot.
The detective reported that the business was badly damaged because Stiemann had allegedly pried open a vent on the roof, then rappelled down to a beam and tried to climb down a decorative piece of plastic, which fell and caused multiple ceiling tiles to fall. The detective estimated that Stiemann fell about 15 feet to the ground.
Stiemann allegedly ripped multiple locked cabinet doors off their hinges and hammered a lock off the storage room door, then pried the metal back. The damages are estimated at about $10,000.
Shoe prints matching Stiemann’s shoes were also found inside Care Spot.
Post Miranda, Stiemann reportedly said he was suffering from a concussion and had no memory.
The detective noted that Stiemann was limping, had his left wrist in a brace, and was complaining of a concussion. Stiemann reportedly said the injuries were a result of getting beat up the previous day, but the detective concluded they were more likely from the fall through the ceiling at Care Spot.
Because Stiemann did not take the wheelchair full of items or the laptop when he fled, he was charged with armed burglary, petit theft, property damage, and giving a false name to law enforcement. Stiemann has been in the area for about four days and is homeless. He has criminal convictions in Illinois between 2006 and 2022. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $11,000.
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.Â
Hey Virginia! He may have a beard and he may have gone through the roof but this idiot ain’t Santa Claus. Sure wish he would slide down Harvey’s chimney though, he invited him, he should feed him some cookies and cream.
He should put a wrist watch on his priority list of items to obtain because his timing was so way off.
Give this loser hard labor in prison. He’s a total loser. Lot
Unfortunately, the Democrats don’t believe in hard labor, except for the middle class, upon whom they depend on, for taxes.
Welcome to Gainesville, our ‘Sanctuary Asylum’
feel free to move <3
He is a looser .I know him from Chicago. He was not homeless, him and his brother drove down to go to Disney and they got banned for life because this idiot talked about trafficking kids to the director of Disney. Also the reason it started was they didn’t want to pay for a 12 dollar wheelchair they wanted it for free and argued with them. Everyday that went by Ted got more and more delusional . They are both a complete mess.