CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami-Dade police Lt. Evelyn Fernandez has been relieved of duty with pay after she allegedly broke into the home of her ex-boyfriend, former Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez.
According to an arrest report, a witness called security at Alvarez's apartment building on Merrick Way in Coral Gables shortly before 12:30 a.m. Sunday after spotting Fernandez near the pool area.
The witness said he saw Fernandez hitting a rear window of the apartment with a floor tile and then throwing the tile into the pool.
When Coral Gables police officers went to the apartment, Fernandez answered the door, bleeding from her left shin, the report said.
There was also blood all over the apartment, officers said.
A source told Local 10 News that Fernandez damaged a metal piece of artwork that fell on her leg, causing the cut. They said she attempted to clean up the blood with a floor cleaner and towels.
Police said Fernandez caused about $5,000 worth of damage inside the apartment, ruining rugs, an entertainment center and other items.
Police said it's unclear how Fernandez got into Alvarez's apartment, because there was no forced entry and he had recently changed the locks, to which she did not have a key. They said she claimed to be there to pick up her belongings.
Alvarez was not home at the time of the break-in.
Fernandez was taken to the emergency room at Coral Gables Hospital before being booked into jail.
She faces charges of burglary to an unoccupied structure and criminal mischief. Fernandez was granted pretrial release and a Miami-Dade County judge ordered that she stay away from her ex.
The former couple made headlines in April when Alvarez was arrested on a battery charge after authorities said he got into a fight with Fernandez in the parking garage of his apartment building after she returned his cat to him.
Police said Alvarez pinned Fernandez against a wall and spit on her.
He has pleaded not guilty. The case is pending.