Naples man arrested for allegedly chasing construction worker through site

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Carlos Martinez Simon, 20, whose listed address is in Naples, was arrested yesterday and charged with trespassing and burglary with battery after allegedly chasing a construction worker through an apartment building that was being renovated.

At about 12:20 p.m. on Wednesday, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Gardenview Apartments (2220 SW 34th Street), where the victim said he was doing renovations inside a secured construction area when Simon returned to the site after he was previously removed after he created a disturbance and argued with other workers.

The victim reportedly said that when Simon returned, he was yelling, twitching, and acting erratically, and Simon allegedly ran up the stairs to the victim’s location, called the victim a derogatory name, and told the victim to run. The victim told the officer that Simon kept reaching toward his waist area as if he had a weapon, and when Simon ran toward him, he was afraid Simon would grab him or hit him.

The victim said he ran from Simon through studs in the unfinished walls and armed himself with a hammer, but Simon also squeezed between narrow wall studs and passed through several unfinished walls and into another unit. The victim said he forced open a door to an adjoining unit to get away from Simon and escape down the stairs of that unit.

A witness told the officer he saw Simon go up the stairs, single out the victim, and chase him; he said there was an earlier argument with Simon because he had been loitering around the construction site.

The arrest report notes that Simon also called 911, claiming that a construction worker had run up on him with a knife and repeatedly asking the call-taker, “Do I have authority to shoot him?” The call-taker noted that he claimed the worker ran up to him and tried to slash his neck with “a working knife… a long dagger.” The call-taker’s notes stated that Simon said he had a weapon in his bag.

The arrest report does not state whether any weapon was found when Simon was arrested.

Post Miranda, Simon reportedly declined to speak with the officer.

Simon has no felony convictions and four misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He has a Notice to Appear (in another county) for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. Judge George Wright ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial.

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.