South Dakota Man Charged with Stealing Motorcycles in Florida

A South Dakota man was apparently very busy during a recent 10-day stay in Florida.

37-year-old Drew Scott Johnson of Dakota Dunes is in the Alachua County jail in Gainesville after being arrested Saturday (November 25) for allegedly stealing three e-bikes.

According to the Alachua Chronicle, Johnson took the bikes during a Thor Mini O’s event at Gatorback Cycle Park in Newberry, which is about 20 miles west of Gainesville.

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According to a report from the  Alachua County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy responded to a call at the cycle park, where a man claimed his e-bike had been stolen. The victim told authorities he had placed a tracking device on the bike, which authorities used to trace its location to the area of Johnson's recreational vehicle.

An initial search turned up no evidence of the bike until the victim activated an audible alarm on the tracking device, alerting the deputy to the presence of the bike in a locked storage unit near Johnson's RV.

At that point, Johnson admitted the bike was there but said he had purchased it for parts from an unknown person.

During that time, another victim approached and said he was also missing an e-bike. Authorities then obtained a search warrant for Johnson’s RV and utility trailer and discovered the frame and wheels of the second victim’s e-bike, as well as two Honda mini dirtbikes with the serial numbers removed.

Johnson, who said he had only been in the area for ten days, has been charged with two counts of grand theft and two counts of possession of vehicles with altered serial numbers. His bail has been set at $40,000.

His criminal record shows convictions spanning from 2000 to 2023 and a federal conviction from 2018.