Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mitchell Lee Jones, 35, was arrested yesterday and charged with grand theft of a motorcycle, drug possession, and resisting an officer without violence after allegedly stealing a motorcycle, riding it for several weeks, and running from officers across Archer Road into Panera.

At about 6 a.m. on March 19, the owner of the motorcycle, who lives at Centric on 34th (3415 SW 39th Boulevard), left to go out of town; the next day, she received alerts that a GPS tracker on the motorcycle was moving. She tracked the motorcycle for a short time, but then the updates stopped when the device was found and disabled. The victim returned home the next day and confirmed that her motorcycle was gone.

Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers reportedly found the motorcycle on traffic cameras starting on March 19, and the same person – a short, heavy-set man with distinct tattoos on his arms – was riding it each time. The motorcycle reportedly appeared on traffic cameras at least 11 times over the next two weeks, and at 3:50 p.m. on April 2, the motorcycle showed up on a traffic camera in the Butler Plaza area.

GPD officers and Butler Plaza security guards canvassed the area, and a security guard saw the motorcycle driving into the Whole Foods parking lot (3490 SW Archer Road) at about 5:13 p.m. The guard confirmed that the license plate matched the tag from the stolen motorcycle and watched the rider appear to “rig something” on the motorcycle and then walk into Whole Foods.

While the guard watched the door of Whole Foods, other officers arrived, and when Jones walked out of the store, officers approached him and told him to stop.

Jones allegedly saw that his path to the motorcycle was blocked and ran across SW Archer Road, past several stores, and into Panera (3443 SW Archer Road), where officers reportedly had to tase him because he physically resisted being placed into handcuffs.

The arresting officer reported that the ignition on the motorcycle had been manipulated so it would start with a screwdriver.

The victim went to Whole Foods to retrieve her motorcycle and reportedly said she had never met Jones and that he did not have her permission to take her motorcycle or damage the ignition. She did not yet have an estimate for the damage.

Jones was reportedly transported to a local hospital because he claimed to have just swallowed fentanyl.

The arresting officer reported that when Jones realized he “was not going to avoid jail today despite his best efforts” and had been read his Miranda rights, he said, “Well, I might as well tell you now – I got some stuff in my pocket.” A search of his pockets reportedly produced a baggie containing about 0.7 grams of crystal methamphetamine and two baggies containing about 1.4 grams of synthetic marijuana. When asked, Jones reportedly said the first bag was “meth” and the other two bags were “synthetic marijuana.” Jones reportedly attributed his actions to “a bad drug problem.”

Jones, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, and resisting an officer without violence. He has three felony convictions (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2020. He served a 90-day jail sentence last year in Alachua County for drug possession and resisting an officer without violence. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $30,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.