A Gainesville man was arrested Sunday night after a police officer spotted him tugging on the tire of a locked bicycle.
Ronald Eugene Griffis, 56, was arrested Sunday evening on charges of second-degree loitering and prowling.
Justin Nelson, a witness, told officers he saw Griffis walking near his apartment complex on Northwest Ninth Terrace approaching patios to look at bikes and glancing into vehicles.
Later, Gainesville Police Officer Warren Meek walked toward Griffis, 56, in front of Bank of America at 1116 W. University Ave.
According to the report, Meek saw Griffis kneeling next to a gray Jamis Boss Cruiser bicycle locked to the rack in front of the building, tugging on the rear wheel, according to the arrest report.
When Meek asked Griffis what he was doing, Griffis said he was looking for a wheel to replace a damaged wheel on his own bicycle, which he said was hit by a vehicle earlier that evening.
Then, Griffis said the bike was not his and apologized, according to the report. He took out a pair of channel lock pliers from his backpack and began to reattach the wheel to the bicycle.
Griffis was arrested and taken to the Alachua County Jail at about 9 p.m. Sunday. As of press time, he remained there with a $3,000 bond.
Contact Jenna Box at jbox@alligator.org.
