Stolen Motorcycle’s Expired Tag Leads To Arrest

SARASOTA, FL — A 32-year-old Bradenton man faces a long list of criminal charges after the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said one of its deputies noticed something just a little bit off about the motorcycle he was riding.

According to an arrest report, a deputy on routine patrol just after 2 a.m. Wednesday noticed a black motorcycle in the area of Lockwood Ridge and Gocio roads. That motorcycle had a tag that appeared “defaced.” It seems the top right corner where the expiration date should have been visible was spray painted black.

The deputy, tipped off by the wonky tag, decided to run the plate and learned it had expired nearly two years prior. What’s more, the rider did not have a valid motorcycle endorsement on his license, the arrest report noted.

After a little back and forth between the deputy, dispatch and the rider, the deputy noted, the man was “visibly shaking from his legs all the way to his upper body,” the report said.

That nervousness prompted the deputy to ask the rider two times to take his hands out of his pockets, the report said. When he failed to comply, the report said, the deputy decided to do a pat down.

While questioning the man pre-pat down, the man told the deputy he had a .380 caliber “Body Guard” pistol in his jacket. The man, however, didn’t have a permit for the gun, which had six rounds in its magazine. During the pat down, a small “black container magnetized to his belt buckle” was found. That container had two bags of a “clear crystal like substance” in it and another bag with an unknown substance. A field test was performed with 9 grams of crystal methamphetamine found, the report said. The unknown substance turned out to be Fentanyl, the sheriff’s office said.

At that point, the motorcycle rider was arrested on drug-related charges, but the deputy’s discoveries weren’t over yet.

After conducting a search on the motorcycle’s VIN number, it was learned the bike had been reported stolen in Manatee County back in January.

“As I examined the motorcycle further, I observed the original paint of blue painted over with black paint as well as camouflage duct tape,” the arrest report stated. “I also observed the motorcycle’s key port to be broken, and the cycle rigged with an alternate switch in order to start.”

That turn of events led to a grand theft auto charge in addition to possession of methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl, carrying a concealed firearm and operating a motorcycle without a license charges.

Joshua Paul Welage was booked into the Sarasota County Jail Feb. 22. His bond was set at $6,120.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office