Lake City man arrested for burglary and property damage

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Karim Hadi Paxton, 56, was arrested last night and charged with burglary and criminal mischief after allegedly breaking a window at Royal Village Apartments. He reportedly told an officer that he has been in the area for about a week.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to 920 SW 6th Street at about 4:35 p.m. and reportedly found Paxton standing in the doorway of an apartment. Paxton reportedly told the officer without prompting that he broke a window with a metal stool and entered the apartment. A maintenance worker on the property noticed the broken window, then went inside and saw Paxton; he then contacted the property manager, who called 911.

Paxton’s listed address is in Lake City, but he told the officer that he has been in Alachua County for about a week. He was arrested in Orange County in 2005 for burglary, theft, and loitering or prowling, but he was found incompetent to stand trial. He has criminal convictions in California, Georgia, and Ohio in the 1980s.

Judge Mark Moseley set bail at $7,000.

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.