Woman arrested for chasing neighbor into her apartment and hitting her with a vacuum cleaner

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Leah Melisa Gibson, 49, was arrested yesterday after allegedly chasing a neighbor into her apartment and hitting her with a vacuum cleaner as she ran.

A Gainesville Police Department officer reported that at about 7:35 p.m. on May 17, Gibson got into an argument with a neighbor at Bivens Cove Apartments (3301 SW 13th Street) and engaged in a physical fight.

After the fight, Gibson reportedly left the area for about five minutes and then came back and argued with the victim again. Gibson allegedly followed the victim into the victim’s apartment while holding a vacuum cleaner and hit the victim in the back with the vacuum cleaner while the victim fled toward the back of the apartment.

The officer reported that doorbell camera video showed Gibson running away from the victim’s apartment, holding a broken vacuum cleaner.

Post Miranda, Gibson reportedly said she never entered the victim’s apartment but threw the vacuum at the victim from the doorway of her own apartment. She later reportedly said she was halfway between the two apartments when she threw the vacuum cleaner at the victim.

The officer reported that pieces of the vacuum were located well into the apartment, “where they could not have landed after being thrown from outside the apartment.”

The officer reported that the victim appeared to be uninjured.

Gibson has been charged with burglary with battery. She has no local criminal history, and Judge James Colaw set bail at $5,000.

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.