TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man was arrested for grand theft after an officer saw him with a motorcycle that matched the description of one stolen.
Tavaris M. Nolen, 28, had stopped a motorcycle in the parking lot of a Petro gas station at 2415 Jackson Bluff Road on Tuesday when the officer drove by and did not see a license plate on it.
Nolen was booked into the Leon County Detention Center on Tuesday and bailed out on a $5,000 bond.
The officer entered the store and contacted Nolen, who said the motorcycle was his, the Tallahassee Police Department officer wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
Outside with Nolen, the officer saw that the license plate on the motorcycle was bent upward and not visible from the back. Its ignition was damaged and unable to accept a key.
After the officer informed Nolen of his right to remain silent, Nolen said he did not steal the motorcycle.
Nolen said he had bought the motorcycle for $200 cash about two to three weeks previously from a man he used to work with but whose correct name he did not know.
Nolen did not receive paperwork for the motorcycle, the officer wrote, and said he thought it was strange that the ignition was broken. Nolen said the seller showed him how to start the motorcycle with a screw driver.
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