Three arrested for stealing carload of items from unoccupied house

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cody Wayne Andrews, 33; Teagan Emily Gibson, 19, of Keystone Heights; and Stacie Chantel Sheffield, 35, of Starke, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly breaking into a vacant home and loading a car with stolen items from the house.

The property owner called 911 to report that she saw a group of people on security cameras, loading their car up with items from the house, which is in the West Park neighborhood off NW 23rd Avenue; she said nobody had permission to be in the house.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the house and made announcements for anyone inside to come out. A deputy reported that Gibson, wearing only a bed sheet, came out first, and then Sheffield came out of a side door. After more announcements were made, Andrews reportedly came out. Deputies reported that items found in Sheffield’s car had been taken from the house.

Post Miranda, Sheffield and Andrews reportedly said they went to the house because Sheffield’s aunt had been hired to clean the house and had told Sheffield she could stay there, and then Sheffield invited Andrews and Gibson. However, the owner of the house told a deputy that she had not hired anyone to clean the house and did not recognize the name provided for Sheffield’s aunt.

When the owner of the house arrived, she reportedly said that Sheffield was wearing jewelry that belonged to her grandmother and had previously been in the house. She said she was knowledgeable about the jewelry because she had recently gone through the jewelry in the house to select items for her mother’s funeral. The jewelry had an estimated value of $1,000.

All three suspects have been charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft from a dwelling.

Andrews, who is described as homeless on the arrest report and is a designated Violent Offender of Special Concern, has 10 felony convictions (non-violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in March 2023. He is also on probation. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $100,000.

Gibson has no criminal history, and Judge Rawls ordered her released on her own recognizance.

Sheffield has three felony convictions (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). She is on probation and was also booked on a warrant for violating probation; a few days before this incident, she sent a letter to the judge in that case, apologizing and saying that she had made significant strides to rebuild her life and was working for a real estate company and attending dental school. Judge Rawls ordered her held without bail until the probation violation is resolved and set bail at $35,000 on the new charges.

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.