Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – James Aryan Conley, 27, was arrested early this morning for allegedly intentionally damaging a parked car downtown.
According to the responding Gainesville Police Department officer, at about 1:25 a.m. on October 4, a security guard saw a man hitting a blue Mustang three times with a heavy object that was later identified as the top to a compressed gas bottle; the car was parked in the 100 block of SW 1st Street. The man ran south toward the courthouse at 220 S. Main Street but ran back around the block and was spotted again by the security guard, who pointed him out to an officer; another officer apprehended the man, who was identified as Conley.
Another witness told an officer that he heard about nine loud bangs and then saw a man (who he later identified as Conley) leaning against the damaged Mustang. The witness said he saw Conley charge at the Mustang and throw something heavy at it before running south, taking off his shirt, putting it back on, and going westbound on SW 2nd Avenue.
The officer reported that the Mustang was covered in blood, and there was impact damage to the rear window and driver’s side front window; the driver’s side door was also dented, and a broken beer bottle and the top of a compressed gas cylinder were found near the Mustang.
The officer estimated the damage to the car at about $900, leading to a misdemeanor property damage charge.
A search incident to arrest reportedly produced six tablets that tested positive for MDMA/Ecstasy and a large chunk of asphalt in his pocket. Conley reportedly had injuries to his hands that were consistent with cuts from broken glass.
Post Miranda, Conley reportedly said the drugs were Ecstasy but then said they were not Ecstasy and he did not know what they were. He said he broke the bottle on a trash can.
Conley, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with property damage under $1,000 and possession of a controlled substance. His full criminal history is unavailable, but he was released in July from a state prison sentence for a Putnam County offense, and he is on probation in that case. Judge Craig DeThomasis set bail at $7,500; Conley has not yet been charged with violating probation.
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.