Gainesville man charged with motorcycle theft and wearing a mask on someone else’s property

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Justin Wayne Dampier, 39, was arrested yesterday after allegedly stealing a motorcycle and wearing a face mask inside Walmart.

The motorcycle was reported stolen on February 11, and law enforcement received an alert at 8:24 p.m. on February 12 that the motorcycle had entered the Butler Plaza complex; the camera showed that the rider was wearing a black face mask. A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the area and eventually found the motorcycle in the Walmart parking lot.

A witness also saw a man riding the motorcycle on NW 39th Avenue at about 5:44 p.m. on February 12, recognized the motorcycle, and called the victim, who called the police. The witness reportedly said the rider was wearing a black jacket and a black face mask.

Surveillance video from Walmart reportedly showed a man parking the motorcycle near the north entrance of the store; the man removed a sweater and placed it over the license plate before entering the store. Cameras inside the store reportedly showed the man walking around the store wearing a face mask. The video reportedly showed the man leaving the store and walking east, away from the motorcycle.

The officer reported that the motorcycle had a punctured ignition column and gas task; a screwdriver that was lodged into the ignition switch appeared to have been used to start the motorcycle.

An officer reportedly found Dampier at Jersey Mike’s (2803 SW 42nd Street), about a block from where the motorcycle was found. He was reportedly still wearing the clothes that were seen in the Walmart store video. He also reportedly had a mask in his back pocket, and a black jacket was found on the motorcycle.

Post Miranda, Dampier declined to answer any questions, but while he was being transported to the jail, he reportedly asked the officer to get his phone from the motorcycle, and the officer found a new phone, still in the box, in a bag on the back of the motorcycle.

Dampier has been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and wearing a mask on the property of another. He has four felony convictions (two violent) and 12 misdemeanor convictions (two violent) and has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2016. He has an active warrant out of Georgia and has a pending violation of probation in Georgia. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $75,000.

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.