A Gainesville man was arrested with synthentic marijuana on him Wednesday morning after police said he robbed a man and attempted to rob another man.
According to a Gainesville Police report, Taj Perry, 23, approached Dale Copemann on New Year’s Eve when Copemann was sitting on a park bench on South Main Street. Perry then pulled a black handgun out of his pants, pointed it at Copemann and demanded money. Copemann gave him $40, and Perry walked away.
Five days later, Perry met with Ramine Dehgan near City Hall around 9 a.m. Police said Perry then pulled out a black handgun and pointed at Dehgan’s stomach, again asking for money. When Dehgan told Perry he only had a small amount of money and that Perry would get caught for the robbery. Perry then said, “I was only kidding,” according to a report.
Police said Perry had less than a gram of Spice when he was arrested Wednesday morning. In 2012, Perry was arrested on charges of robbery with a firearm and illegal weapon possession. Last year, he was arrested on charges of battery, according to county records.
Perry is being held on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of spice. As of press time, he remained at the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 1/9/2015 under the headline “Local man arrested, police say he stole $40, found with Spice"]
