UK man charged with felony for entering UF stadium without a ticket; officers say he also took a cowboy hat from a guest

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – George Henry Hargreaves, 21, of the United Kingdom, was arrested yesterday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on a new felony charge of trespassing at a large ticketed event; officers say he took a cowboy hat from another guest, tried to fight with guests, and ran from police, although he was not charged with those offenses.

At about 7:30 p.m. on November 22, near the beginning of the UF-Tennessee football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper reported that officers were notified about a person who was wearing a cowboy hat and potentially causing a hostile environment by trying to fight with guests.

The trooper reported seeing a white man run through Gate 15 without providing a ticket; the man allegedly started running, and the trooper chased and tackled him.

In the booking room, the man was identified as Hargreaves, and the trooper reported that officers learned he had snatched a cowboy hat from another guest.

Hargreaves reportedly stated spontaneously that he did not have a ticket to the game.

Hargreaves has been charged with wilfully entering or remaining in a venue during a ticketed event with attendance over 5,000 people, a third-degree felony. He has no local criminal history, and Judge Robert Groeb ordered him released on his own recognizance.

SB 1828, which passed and was signed into law in 2025, made the crime of “willfully
enter[ing] or remain[ing] in a restricted area during a covered event without being authorized, licensed,
or invited to enter or remain” a third-degree felony; it was previously a first-degree misdemeanor. The bill analysis states that the bill was motivated by the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 games at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

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.