Man arrested for squatting in vacant house, pawning stolen items

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael Anthony Magee, Jr., 29, was arrested early this morning and charged with burglary, grand theft, dealing in stolen property, and entering false information on a pawn form after a handyman found evidence that Magee had been inside a vacant house and had stolen and pawned items from the house.

The handyman maintains the house for the owner and reportedly found an envelope addressed to Magee on the back porch of the house on April 27. The owner ordered security cameras and shipped them to the house; when the handyman arrived on May 26 to install the cameras, he reportedly found they had been placed inside the house. When he went inside, he reportedly found the house in disarray; he also found a ladder alongside the house and a broken second-story window.

The handyman reportedly found that the suspect(s) in the house ate food and drank alcohol belonging to the homeowner and had left some of their belongings, including paystubs in Magee’s name. A suitcase in the home reportedly contained a home stereo and coffee maker belonging to the homeowner; the suitcase also contained a pawn slip dated May 24 for two leaf blowers.

A Gainesville Police Department officer went to the pawn shop and obtained photos of the leaf blowers, which the homeowner identified as hers; she said the leaf blowers had been in the laundry room of the house. Surveillance video of the pawn transaction reportedly showed Magee carrying the same suitcase when he entered the pawn shop and pawning the leaf blowers; the video showed that Magee tried to pawn the stereo and the coffee maker, but the pawn shop did not accept those items.

Magee is also facing a sworn complaint for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia from May 2; the arrest report notes that he was carrying a concealed pistol and produced an invalid concealed weapons permit, but he was not charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a permit.

Magee has no criminal convictions. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $45,000.

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.