University Police arrested a Gators football player Wednesday morning after police said he possessed a stolen mo-ped scooter and drove with a suspended driver’s license.
UPD officers arrested Jessamen Dunker, a 19-year-old freshman, and charged him with driving with a suspended license and grand theft auto, according to a UPD arrest report.
At about 10 a.m. Wednesday, a UPD officer saw Dunker driving a scooter close behind a UF Physical Plant work truck on Stadium Road, said UPD spokesman Brad Barber.
The officer pulled Dunker over at the South End Zone of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and noticed the scooter didn’t have a license plate, Barber said.
When the officer ran the scooter’s make and model through a police computer, it reported that the mo-ped was stolen.
Dunker was also driving with a suspended license from a traffic ticket he failed to pay in 2011.
After his arrest, Dunker told the officer that he did not steal the vehicle and purchased it from someone for $600, according to the report.
Police arrested Dunker and booked him into the Alachua County jail at about noon, where he remained later that evening without bond, according to jail records.
The arrest marked Dunker’s second incident with police in three months.
In November, he shouted expletives at police officers after he received a citation for failing to wear a seat belt.
A UPD officer was put on leave following the incident for failing to file a police report on the citation until the following day.
Dunker is the 12th football player arrested since Will Muschamp took over for Urban Meyer as Florida’s coach in January 2011.
Other players arrested under Muschamp have included Marcus Roberson for underage possession of alcohol, Leon Orr on marijuana-related charges and A.C. Leonard for domestic battery, according to Alligator archives.
More than 30 player arrests occurred during Meyer’s six-year tenure.
A former four-star recruit who attended Boynton Beach High, Dunker redshirted during the 2012 season — his first with the Gators.
Muschamp considered putting Dunker in as starting guard after James Wilson, a former Gator offensive lineman, graduated this season.
The 6-feet-6-inch offensive guard was a Parade High School All-American and played in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game.
He chose to attend UF instead of Auburn University, Georgia University, University of Alabama and Louisiana State University.
A UF Athletic Association spokesman wrote in an email that coach Muschamp is “aware of the incident” and will address Dunker’s arrest during a scheduled news conference Friday.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org. Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
