Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kenneth Lee Daniels, 62, and Wanda Vander Ellis, 66, were arrested late last night and charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure and drug charges after witnesses reported that the pair had removed glass from the window of a home and climbed inside.

At about 11:26 p.m., neighbors of an unoccupied home in the 600 block of NE 15th Street called 911 to report that the suspects had removed glass from the window of a home and climbed in through the window; they also reported that they saw the suspects with a flashlight inside the home and that the suspects had run across the roadway after leaving the home.

The resident of the home reportedly told the responding Gainesville Police Department Officer that nobody had permission to be in the home.

A search of Daniels, incident to arrest, reportedly found a glass crack pipe and a screwdriver. Post Miranda, Daniels reportedly said he had just come from the store and did not enter the home. The witnesses reportedly identified Daniels. He has been charged with burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Daniels has one felony conviction (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has served one state prison sentence, with his most recent release in 1990. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,100.

A search of Ellis, incident to arrest, reportedly found a glass crack pipe, gloves, a screwdriver, a solar light, and a small amount of a substance that tested positive for cocaine. Post Miranda, Ellis reportedly said she had come from the store and did not go near or enter the home. The witnesses reportedly identified Ellis. Ellis has been charged with burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Ellis has 14 felony convictions (none violent) and 23 misdemeanor convictions (none violent). She has served seven state prison sentences, with her most recent release in 2014. She had an active warrant for failure to appear at a hearing in a 2020 case; her probation was only supposed to last a year, but she was accused of violating probation after about five months, and a warrant for her arrest was issued in October 2020 after she failed to appear at a hearing. Judge Miller-Jones ordered her held without bail for violating probation and set bail at $60,100 on the new charges.