Man on probation for e-bike theft arrested after allegedly tampering with scooter on UF campus

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – John Paul Stauff, 43, was arrested early this morning and charged with prowling and giving a false name to an officer after a call was received about a man tampering with a scooter in a University of Florida parking garage.

At about 1:45 a.m. this morning, a UF Police Department officer responded to a call from a Blue Light phone at the parking garage at 222 Fletcher Drive. The caller gave a description of a man who appeared to be tampering with an electric scooter. The caller then reported that the man walked away toward the football stadium after noticing that he was being watched.

An officer drove toward the stadium and saw a man on Stadium Drive who matched the description provided by the caller. He reported that when he made contact with the man, the man immediately said he had been by the bike rack and said, “It was me.” The officer detained the man in handcuffs.

The man allegedly told the officer his name was Darren P. Smith and provided a birthdate, saying his identification card was from Arizona. The officer, however, was unable to find any valid record for that name and birthdate.

Post Miranda, officers identified him as Stauff. The caller also positively identified him in a photo line-up.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced two multi-tools and a screwdriver, along with three screws with green thread lock. Officers went back to the parking garage and reportedly found that the scooter was missing three screws with green thread lock.

Stauff was also arrested on a warrant for violating probation. He was arrested in June 2023 and charged with grand theft for stealing an e-bike. On July 6, he entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charge and was released on his own recognizance, with a requirement to return on August 14 for sentencing. A warrant for his arrest was issued when he failed to appear at the sentencing hearing, and he was re-arrested on August 28. Judge William Davis sentenced him to the same deal he had originally pled to: 180 days in jail with credit for 51 days served plus a year of probation.

Stauff was released from Jail on December 23 with a requirement to report to his Probation Officer within 24 hours, but he failed to do that, and another warrant for his arrest was issued on January 8.

Stauff has 10 felony convictions (three violent) and 12 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He has served seven state prison sentences, with his most recent release in July 2022. Judge Tatum Davis ordered him held without bail for violating probation and set bail at $10,000 on the new charge.

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.