Gainesville man charged with multiple vehicle thefts after stolen scooter was located with AirTag

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jacob Andrew Baumgardner, 37, was arrested on February 16 and charged with domestic battery. Yesterday he was also charged with stealing a car from the Oaks Mall and stealing a scooter from Stoneridge Apartments.

On February 3, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a call about a stolen car outside JC Penney. The victim told the officer that she had set her car keys down on a shelf while she was looking at an item of clothing in the store and that her car was subsequently stolen. The officer reported that store surveillance video showed the victim leaving her keys on the shelf and then showed Baumgardner taking the keys and putting them in his pocket. Surveillance video also reportedly showed Baumgardner driving out of the Oaks Mall parking lot in the victim’s car. On February 7, the car was found abandoned in Bellamy Grand Apartments.

On February 15, the second victim parked his scooter in the parking lot of Stoneridge Apartments and reported that it was gone at noon the next day. The victim had installed an Apple AirTag in the scooter and tracked the scooter to the Circle K at 9260 NW 39th Avenue. Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies reportedly found Baumgardner pumping gas into the stolen scooter at the Circle K. A search of his backpack reportedly produced a wallet belonging to a third victim and the keys to the car stolen at the Oaks Mall. Deputies also reportedly found multiple lock picks and “bump keys,” which are used to pick or otherwise defeat locks.

Baumgardner has no criminal convictions but has been in jail since February 16 with bail set at $230,000 for failure to appear on vehicle theft and burglary charges, along with the domestic battery charges. Judge Thomas Jaworski added $25,000 bail on the new charges of two counts of vehicle theft and one count of fraudulent possession of identification belonging to another person.

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. 

  • He’s going to sit in jail and crab off others for canteen. And beg for letter paper. He’s got sorry dude written all over his pathetic face.

  • No criminal record at 37…this looks like a case where a recent addiction has thrown this guy’s life off course. Hope he can get off the drugs and get some help and get his life back on track.

    • Perhaps he recently saw the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” and thinks he is Nicholas Cage!

  • That’s an idea! They should airtag all of these criminals so residents can avoid them.

  • I used to work with this guy and I always knew there was a mental thing going on with him. First time I ever talked to him he used the N word and I knew something was up

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