BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A 31-year-old Bradford County man was sentenced to 10 years with the Department of Corrections after pleading to five burglaries.
Brandon Adrian Nelson was first incarcerated by the state corrections agency in 2011 for five burglaries. He was sentenced to four years for a second batch of seven break-ins in 2014.
On March 12, Circuit Judge James M. Colaw sentenced the 31-year-old to 10 years for five more thefts.
The first occurred at a vacant house on U.S. 301 between Starke and Lawtey on October 19, 2024. According to an arrest report, deputies caught Nelson running away from the home and found stolen jewelry in his pockets.
On December 6, 2024, the owners of a commercial structure near the intersection of Edwards Road and U.S. 301 reported the theft of approximately $2,500 worth of tools from the building. According to an arrest report, investigators traced the break-in to Nelson, who told deputies he cut a lock in the back of the building and stored the stolen property at nearby railroad tracks before selling the tools.
On December 18, 2024, a Starke plumbing contractor reported the theft of around $2,000 in power tools and copper fittings. A deputy wrote in an arrest report that Nelson admitted to cutting a hole in the contractor’s fence and stealing the property from trucks parked at the facility.
On January 16, 2025, a Keystone Heights building contractor reported thefts of copper wiring from several homes under construction in Southeastern Bradford County. According to an arrest report, Nelson admitted to the thefts.
On February 5, 2025, a Starke City official reported the theft of over $18,000 in copper wire and tools stolen from a city yard on Orange Street. Deputies later linked the burglary to Nelson, who admitted to the theft.
