A 37-year-old man will spend the next quarter of a century in prison after pleading no contest to charges that he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s DeLand home while wearing a ski mask and threatened her with a gun.
Last week, Christopher Allen pleaded no contest to the following charges: one count of burglary of a dwelling while armed with a firearm and wearing a mask, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (firearm) while wearing a mask, one count of tampering with physical evidence, and one count of possessing a firearm by a convicted in-state felon while wearing a mask.
After entering his plea, Allen was sentenced to 25 years in prison, which will be followed by 10 years of probation. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in DeLand on December 1, 2025.
On that date, Allen allegedly traveled to his ex-girlfriend’s home with a gun and ski mask. He then reportedly “tricked” her into opening the door.
Once the door was open, Allen allegedly pointed the gun at his ex-girlfriend and forced her backward into the residence. When she yelled that Allen was armed, her ex-husband grabbed his own firearm and came to her aid, according to DeLand police.
After making several attempts to get Allen to drop his weapon, the ex-husband reportedly shot him in the arm.
Allen then allegedly fled from the residence on foot, abandoning his gun and ski mask along his escape route. He was quickly located and arrested a few blocks away with the assistance of a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter and K-9 handlers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
This case was investigated by the DeLand Police Department, with assistance from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement.