A Gainesville man could not run away from his problems on Monday morning.
An officer responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle at about 3:50 a.m. where Roberto James Baldinelli, 41, was sitting shirtless on a scooter behind Alley Gatorz at 2606 NE Waldo Rd.
The officer recognized Baldinelli because he previously arrested him on drug charges, according to a Gainesville Police Department report. Baldinelli said that he was waiting for his girlfriend.
When the officer began to read the scooter’s tag to dispatch to check if it was stolen,
Baldinelli began to run, according to the report.
Baldinelli ran for about 200 yards before coming face-to-face with a chain-link fence. He gave up and spontaneously stated that he had “dope” on him and had a warrant, according to the report.
A warrant check by the officer revealed that Baldinelli had a felony warrant for drug possession reference failure to appear, according to the report.
Further inspection of the scooter revealed that the scooter’s ignition was hanging by a wire, a common indication that a vehicle has been stolen, according to the report. The officer found that the scooter had a stolen motorcycle tag on it.
Baldinelli had a glass pipe and plastic bag with residue, items consistent with methamphetamine, the report said.
Baldinelli is charged with grand theft of motor vehicles, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting an officer without violence in lieu of a $35,000 bond.
Baldinelli
