A homeless man was arrested Thursday after being caught drinking beer outside a RaceTrac store where he had previously been banned.
Troy Lee Riddle, 55, was charged with trespass after warning. An Ocala Police officer responded to the store, located at 3040 S. Pine Ave., in reference to the report of a man drinking beer in the covered seating area on the south side of the business. The officer went to the seating area and saw a bicycle with an open can of beer in the bottle holder, according to the police report.
The officer spoke with Riddle when he came out of the store and returned to the bicycle. He said he was not drinking the beer, and the officer said he had already observed the open container and Riddle had already been seen drinking beers on the property. Riddle said he did it because he was homeless and in the middle of getting things done, the report said.
The can observed on the bike was a 24-ounce Ice House beer showing 8 percent alcohol by volume. The officer told Riddle he was being trespassed from the property and not being arrested for the open container, according to the report.
A computer check revealed that Riddle had already received a trespass warning at the store in March 2019. He was released Saturday after being given credit for time served.