GPD arrests man hiding in the bushes near Depot Park after learning he just arrived from Indiana and had no ID

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Moheet Mohan Kanolkar, 33, was arrested yesterday morning after a passerby reported that a man was hiding in the bushes in Depot Park; a police officer reported that Kanolkar pulled up his pants as officers approached, had a bus ticket showing that he had just arrived from Atlanta, and had no identification.

At about 7:46 a.m. on April 22, Gainesville Police Department officers were conducting an increased patrol in the Depot Park area due to recent incidents of sexual exposure in that area. A passerby reportedly approached an officer and said someone was hiding in the bushes along the walking trail and that person’s behavior seemed strange. The officer noted that this behavior “is consistent with frequent exposure of sexual organs incidents that the Gainesville Police Department has investigated recently.”

Officers reported that the man was about 10 feet into the wood line, hiding behind a tree and bushes. As officers walked closer, they noted that the man was pulling up his pants. Officers instructed the man to come out of the woods, but the man reportedly stood very still behind a tree “as if pretending he was still hidden.” The man eventually came out of the woods after approximately four commands were given.

The man reportedly said he was waiting for his boss in the woods, but officers reported that he had a bus ticket showing that he had arrived in Gainesville at 3:40 a.m. that morning on a bus from Atlanta; the ticket indicated that the trip began in Gary, Indiana. The man reportedly was unable to provide the name of his boss or the business, could not say why he was in Gainesville, and could not explain why he was pulling up his pants when officers approached him.

When he was asked for identification, the man reportedly said he did not have it on him; although he said he has a Florida ID, officers reported that they employed a fingerprint scan and facial recognition software, but a nationwide search did not find any positive identification for the man. The man reportedly would not say whether he was a United States citizen, if he had a passport or visa, or if he had any other documentation to verify his identity; according to the arrest report, he was born in India.

The man gave consent for officers to search his phone, and they reported finding multiple videos of a person “participating in self-pleasure,” as well as many screenshots of Facebook pages belonging to various young women.

The man also gave consent for a search of his belongings, which reportedly produced a condom and baby lotion, “both of which are routinely used by males who participate in self-pleasure,” according to an officer.

Kanolkar has been charged with loitering/prowling. He has no known criminal history, and Judge Bo Bayer set bail at $3,000.

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.