Man on pre-trial release charged with prowling, nearby property owner complains of decades-long “pattern of harassment, intrusion, and theft”

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eric Calvin Burke, 40, was arrested early this morning for allegedly prowling around a neighbor’s house, looking in the windows. He was on pre-trial release following a December 2024 arrest for entering a home and making coffee while the homeowner’s 12-year-old daughter was asleep, and he is facing two other cases in which formal charges have been filed but he was only issued a Notice to Appear. A homeowner in his neighborhood has sent two judges a letter describing the “constant state of fear and unease” that Burke’s behavior has created in the Fairbanks neighborhood with a “pattern of harassment, intrusion, and theft which spans over two decades.”

At about 6:55 p.m. on March 8, a neighbor of the victim reported that he saw Burke walk into the victim’s front yard and then look through the windows of the victim’s home. The neighbor reported that he tried to take a video, but the flash on his cell phone alerted Burke, who jumped a fence and ran away. The neighbor said he had known Burke for about 20 years and that Burke stole a bicycle from him in December 2024.

The neighbor told the responding Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that the women who live in the Fairbanks area are increasingly concerned about Burke’s behavior and that they do not feel safe.

The deputy contacted the victim by phone, and she confirmed that Burke was not supposed to be on her property and that she wanted to press charges.

The deputy went to Burke’s residence, where a family member said Burke had just left. He was arrested at his home at 12:38 a.m. this morning.

The deputy wrote that given the time of day, right at sunset, and Burke’s behavior, which was “not usual for law-abiding individuals,… it is reasonable for [the neighbor] to be alarmed by [Burke’s] actions and to be concerned for the victim’s safety.”

Post Miranda, Burke reportedly denied the allegation but did not explain his reason for being on the victim’s property.

Burke has been charged with prowling. He has 10 felony convictions (none violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (one violent); he has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2020. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $20,000 on the new charge.

Additional pending cases against Burke

A sworn complaint was filed on October 24, 2024, charging Burke with trespassing at a Circle K. Formal charges were filed, and he was issued a Notice to Appear.

On October 26, 2024, another sworn complaint was filed, based on a report from a representative of the Never Use Alone hotline; the hotline’s purpose is to provide narcotics users with an opportunity to speak with a live person while using narcotics so the call-taker can call EMS if the user has a medical episode. The representative said Burke has repeatedly called the hotline (she documented over 50 calls over three months), and when he is connected to a call-taker, he tells her he is masturbating to her voice and “uses vulgar and sexual commentary of the sexual acts he is doing to himself.”

The hotline representative said she researched his phone number, found an email address, and sent him an email asking him to stop, and after that, Burke allegedly had his calls routed through the United Way Hotline to prevent his number from showing on the Caller ID available to the Never Use Alone call-takers, but the call-takers know his voice and have reported that the vulgar and obscene language are the same.

The responding deputy reported that he spoke with a family member, who said they would ask Burke to stop calling the hotline. Burke has been charged by sworn complaint of making an obscene phone call, formal charges were filed in early December, and Burke was issued a Notice to Appear.

Burke was arrested on December 29, 2024, after allegedly entering a home and making himself coffee while a 12-year-old was sleeping in the house; he was released on $10,000 bail.

Two weeks ago, a woman who owns property in Burke’s neighborhood wrote to two local judges to say that her daughter is living on her property and she wanted to share her “concerns about the long-standing and disruptive behavior [Burke] has exhibited over the years, which has affected not only my family but also others in our neighborhood.” She wrote that Burke has broken into her home three separate times, resulting in one trespassing charge; she added that Burke has been standing in her daughter’s driveway late at night, making her daughter afraid to go to the mailbox without carrying pepper spray and a knife. The woman continued, “Despite multiple interactions with law enforcement, including video evidence of his trespassing on our property, there has been little action taken to hold him accountable.”

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.