Homeless man arrested for burglary incidents committed by suspect wearing a red wig and women’s clothes

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kenneth George Edwards, 64, has been charged with multiple burglary incidents after being arrested following one incident and then identified as the suspect caught on surveillance video, wearing a red wig and a dress, in the other incident.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the 700 block of NW 13th Street, where a surveillance camera had caught a suspect entering a food truck parked nearby at about 11:35 p.m. on May 1. The food truck owner reported that hundreds of dollars’ worth of items were missing, and multiple items were damaged. The suspect appeared to be a white male wearing a long, red wig and a dress.

The food truck owner reported that plumbing items, an entire set of tools, and three water hoses were missing, for a total loss of about $786. A cable was cut, and a water pump, two metal chairs, and three electrical extensions were damaged, for a total loss of about $472.

On May 2, a still image of the same suspect from a surveillance video was posted on Facebook, and the author of the post stated that the suspect had stolen a trash can from a nearby business and used it to carry the stolen property from the food truck.

The officer read through the comments and found one person who wrote that she had seen the same person at the Shands ER, wearing a red curly wig and a dress.

The officer sent the surveillance image to other officers and heard from a detective who pointed him to an arrest report for Edwards on May 2.

At about 9:11 p.m. on May 2, a man was seen removing construction items from the parking garage at the University Holiday Inn (1250 W. University Avenue) before he was confronted by an employee of the hotel; the employee reported that the man had tried to take air conditioning hoses, two water hoses, two tanks, 12 toilet covers, metal frames, and a cement mixer, for a total value of about $1,500. The employee took a video of the man on the property and described him as a white man wearing gray sweatpants and a pink robe.

A GPD officer found a man matching that description, later identified as Edwards, in the 800 block of SW 13th Street; when she told him he was being detained for the burglary at the Holiday Inn, he reportedly said, “That’s all true,” but declined to say anything after he acknowledged his Miranda rights.

While en route to the jail, Edwards reportedly said he had taken other wheeled objects from the hotel’s property, and the officer found two trolleys and a rake, valued at about $100.

The officer investigating the food truck case reported that at the time of the arrest for the Holiday Inn incident, Edwards was wearing a red wig, high socks, a woman’s robe, and a hospital band. The officer reviewed body-camera video from the arrest and confirmed that Edwards was the man in the video from the food truck.

A detective investigating a different case in which Edwards is the victim also reportedly identified the man in the surveillance image as Edwards; he said that when he interviewed Edwards, Edwards said he likes to wear women’s dresses and has many of them. He also reportedly stated during that interview that he had been in the area of the food truck.

Edwards, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with two counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft, and property damage. He has no criminal history and is being held on $10,000 bail in one case and $17,000 bail in the other.

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.