Man on probation arrested for causing a disturbance at Applebee’s and attempting to take two bottles of alcohol from behind the bar

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Darren Mathew Roark, 38, was arrested yesterday for disorderly intoxication, petit theft, and resisting an officer after allegedly causing a disturbance at Applebee’s and trying to take two bottles of alcohol from behind the bar; he was just released from the Alachua County Jail on May 7.

At about 8 p.m. on May 13, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call at Applebee’s (7441 W. Newberry Road) about a man being aggressive with staff members and trying to steal merchandise.

The deputy reported finding Roark lying in a grass median in the restaurant’s parking lot, with his hands concealed near his waistband. The deputy told him several times to move his hands away from his waistband, but Roark allegedly refused for some period of time before finally moving his hands. The deputy reported that Roark appeared to be intoxicated.

When another deputy arrived, Roark reportedly stood up and said he wanted to “approach” the deputies. A deputy told him to stay where he was, but Roark allegedly started walking toward the deputies, who again told him to stop, but he continued; based on this behavior, Roark was detained in handcuffs.

The manager of the restaurant reportedly said Roark had created a disturbance on the restaurant’s patio while visibly intoxicated, “causing concern and alarm among customers and employees.” When he was asked to leave, he allegedly refused and then walked inside the restaurant and took a bottle of Disaronno, valued at $18, from behind the bar. The manager took the bottle from him, and Roark allegedly went back to the bar and tried to take a bottle of Skyy vodka, valued at $42. This bottle was also taken back by an employee, and Roark was removed from the business.

After Roark was removed from the restaurant, he allegedly kept trying to re-enter and threw objects at the locked doors of the business before walking away to the median, where the deputy found him.

The deputy noted that Roark “is a known transient subject with extensive history of causing disturbances resulting in him being trespassed from several businesses in close proximity to the incident location.”

Roark has been charged with petit theft with two or more prior convictions (a felony), resisting an officer without violence, and disorderly intoxication in a public place. He has three felony convictions (non-violent) and 10 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). On April 29, 2025, he was sentenced to six months in jail with credit for 142 days served for cocaine possession and other charges, followed by two years of probation; he was released from the Alachua County Jail on May 7.

Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $65,000 on the new charges.

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.