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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Career criminal behind bars after showing up at minimart where he’s not welcome

A 28-year-old Ocala man with a long criminal record found himself in the Marion County Jail early Sunday morning after going to a minimart where he wasn’t welcome.

Justin Anthony Mendez, 28, of Ocala, was arrested early Sunday morning at the Circle K at 5182 E Silver Springs Blvd. and charged with trespassing.

A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded shortly after midnight to the Circle K at 5182 E Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala. When he arrived, he spotted Justin Anthony Mendez in the parking lot. A check of Mendez’s criminal record showed that he had been trespassed from the Circle K on Oct. 5, 2018.

Mendez was taken into custody and charged with trespassing. He’s scheduled to be released from Marion County Jail on Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. and has a court date the following day.

Mendez is no stranger to the Marion County legal system, having been held at the jail 13 times since November 2010 on a litany of charges. He was arrested in February and charged with possession of drug equipment and resisting an officer without violence And in March he was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance (heroin), resisting an officer without violence and trespass after warning.