Man arrested for running into occupied house, locking another resident out of the house

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joseph Coy Stevens, 37, was arrested yesterday evening after running past a woman into her house, locking her out, then fighting with her husband, who tried to detain him inside the house.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a 911 call from a home in a neighborhood on the south side of NW 39th Avenue and west of NW 51st Street at about 9:45 p.m. last night. A woman said she was sitting on her porch when she heard a male voice screaming down the street, then heard a loud bang near her car, which was parked on the street in front of her house. She said a man ran up to her, pushed past her, and went inside her house, then locked the front door behind him.

The woman said she screamed for help, and her husband, who was inside the house, came running to the front door. Both people said they had never seen the man before.

The husband said he found Stevens inside the house and tackled him to prevent him from escaping; the two men fell to the ground and struggled briefly before Stevens broke free and ran out of the house.

Deputies found Stevens hiding in a cactus tree nearby, and he was arrested. Both victims positively identified him as the intruder. Post Miranda, Stevens reportedly stated that he believed he did something bad and admitted “going into the wrong house.”

Stevens has been charged with unarmed burglary of an occupied dwelling and battery. He is being held on $35,000 bond.

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.