Man recently released from prison arrested for armed home invasion, sexual battery, and other felonies

Updated at 6:15 p.m. with bail amount.

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Branden Keonnis Babcock, 30, was arrested yesterday and charged with seven felonies and three misdemeanors after allegedly terrorizing a former girlfriend in her home for several hours while threatening her with a pistol.

Babcock allegedly entered the victim’s home at 8:20 a.m. yesterday with the intent of robbing her because he believed she had money in her apartment. He allegedly put a gun to her head, took her phone, punched and kicked her all over her body, pulled her pants down, hit her in the buttocks, stuck his fingers down her throat, choked her, and forced her to have oral sex with him at gunpoint. The victim sustained multiple injuries and was taken to an emergency room for treatment.

At one point, she opened a drawer that held $12 cash, and he allegedly grabbed the money, balled it up, and put it in his pocket.

The victim reported that Babcock only stopped hitting and kicking her when she did exactly what he told her to do.

He also allegedly threw items and damaged the victim’s property while he was in the apartment; the amount of the damage will be determined when the victim returns to her apartment.

At about 10:42 a.m., a 911 call was received from the victim, who reportedly said she fell down the stairs. However, when EMS personnel arrived, they learned that she had been battered and threatened with a firearm in her apartment. Alachua County Fire Rescue contacted law enforcement, and Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded.

Deputies reported that they encountered Babcock at the doorway of the apartment, at which point he quickly went back inside. He allegedly refused to come out; at one point, he walked onto a balcony, where he spoke with an ASO lieutenant at the scene. He allegedly refused to surrender, and deputies deployed their Tasers multiple times before handcuffing him.

While Babcock was being transported to the jail, he allegedly moved his handcuffs from the back to the front of his body and defeated a RIPP hobble restraint.

A search of the apartment with the victim’s consent reportedly produced a semiautomatic .380 handgun. A search of Babcock reportedly produced a wad of $12 in cash.

Post Miranda, Babcock reportedly said he didn’t do anything, saying he would have “called the ambulance” if something had happened. He reportedly said the victim is “nobody” to him but that he knew it was her apartment and she let him in. He reportedly dated the victim a few years ago.

Babcock has been charged with home invasion robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, sexual battery with threat of violence, false imprisonment, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, felony battery with a prior battery conviction, petit theft, resisting arrest without violence, and property damage.

Babcock has a juvenile criminal history, six adult felony convictions (three violent), and four adult misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He was arrested in 2021 for attempted homicide after allegedly shooting a victim, but the charges were dropped after he was sentenced to two years in state prison on a 2019 aggravated assault charge. Babcock has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in July 2023.

Judge Walter Green set bail at $86,000, with a requirement for GPS monitoring upon release.

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.