Homeless man arrested for stealing and using credit cards; similar charges were recently dropped

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – James Arthur Martin, 49, was arrested yesterday and charged with fraudulent use of a credit card after the victim received a notification that his card had been used at Subway and went there to find the suspect.

The victim told the responding Gainesville Police Department officer that two credit cards were stolen from his truck on December 28 when it was parked at Home Depot (5150 NW 13th Street); he said when he returned to his truck, one of the windows was down and the cards were missing.

Martin allegedly used the card three times at Subway (5210 NW 13th Street) on December 28, 29, and 30, with a charge of $12.14 on each date.

The victim reportedly received an alert from his bank showing that the card was used at Subway, and he and his wife went to the store, where an employee gave them a description of the man who had recently used the card; they reportedly found Martin in the Tractor Supply shopping center nearby and called the police.

The employee told the officer that before placing his order that day, Martin asked him to check whether the card worked. The employee said the transaction went through and was captured on the store’s surveillance cameras, including the last four digits on the card.

Post Miranda, Martin reportedly said he had used a gift card that day and provided the last four digits of that card, but when the officer showed him the video of the transaction, Martin was reportedly unable to explain why it showed him using a different card.

Martin was arrested in April 2024 after allegedly touching customers on the rear as they entered the Circle K at 4565 NW 13th Street; at the time of his arrest, he allegedly had a wallet belonging to someone else and three cards with different names, which he reportedly said he had found in the store and planned to return to the owners. He entered a plea of nolo contendere to simple battery, and three counts of knowingly possessing identification cards belonging to others were dropped as part of the plea. He was fined $728 and has not paid the fine, which has been turned over to collections.

Martin, who is described as homeless in court documents, has two felony convictions (none violent) and 22 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Judge Adam Lee set bail at $36,000.

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.