Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Carlos Humberto Canales, Jr., 45, of Palatka, was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with six felonies related to the theft of and damage to CO2 tanks at two Newberry Square businesses.
An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call about a suspicious person loitering near Moe’s Southwest Grill and Pepper’s Mexican Grill. The caller reportedly said a male in dark clothing attempted to hide behind a metal cylinder when he drove into the parking lot.
The deputy reported that he saw a man, later identified as Canales, rolling a large metal tank toward Newberry Road near Moe’s Southwest Grill. The man reportedly had black liquid all over his hands, arms, and clothing, and he had a metal rod in his waistband. The deputy reported that Canales spontaneously said the tank was not stolen and that he got it from his friend JJ’s truck.
The deputy detained Canales for suspicion of theft, burglary, and loitering and prowling, and removed the rod, which he described as a “long-galvanized bolt.” A pat-down search of Canales reportedly found a bulge in his pocket, which was reportedly a glass pipe used for ingesting drugs. A probable cause search based on the pipe reportedly produced a broken lock and metal rod in Canales’ pockets.