Three arrested for burglary, vandalism at storage units
Three arrested for burglary, vandalism at storage units
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL - A 19-year-old man and two juvenile boys were arrested Friday and charged with vandalizing storage units at the Community Self Storage on Branford Highway.
Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives have been called to the storage units more than nine times in the past weeks in reference to ongoing vandalism to include broken lights,
broken windows, damaged sheetrock and discharged fire extinguishers. Total damage had reached an estimated $30,000.
"Each time we responded to this business, we found a mess but no hard evidence to allow us to confirm a suspect," said Sheriff Bill Gootee. "On Friday, Detective JT Williams responded and with the help of a witness, was able to identify and arrest the individuals responsible."
Mark Edward Gibbons, of 2790 SW Windsong Circle, was charged with burglary, trespass and criminal mischief for his part in the on-going vandalism problem.
A 12-year-old and a 14-year-old were also arrested and charged with burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief. The juveniles are not being identified due to their age. They were each booked into the Columbia County Jail and released to their parents. Gibbons was booked into the Columbia County Jail and remained there Monday on $16,000 bond. The investigation continues and other suspects may be named.
