A barefoot panhandler was apprehended for the third time while begging near The Villages.
Alex Moulton, 24, of Summerfield, was apprehended Monday afternoon at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 441 and SE Hwy. 42, near Mulberry Grove Plaza, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Moulton stood in the median, carrying a sign asking for money. He was barefoot and within 10 inches of automobiles driving through the busy intersection. He was approaching automobiles at the crossroads, causing a “traffic hazard,” according to the complaint.
The Florida Department of Transportation has issued a trespass authorization for the intersection and medians. Moulton was issued a trespass warning in December and told to avoid the crossing.
When he was apprehended and placed into the Marion County Jail, Moulton admitted to having been detained twice before at the same junction. He was freed from Marion County Jail in January after serving an 11-day sentence for trespassing at the crossroads.
A woman from The Villages was detained in December while panhandling at the same crossroads. Last year, a Community Development District 4 supervisor expressed worry about panhandlers at that spot.
Marion County passed an anti-panhandling code over a decade ago, but it faced legal challenges. The panhandling ordinance required that panhandlers obtain a license, pay a fee, and disclose personal information. The ordinance also prohibited panhandling in specific areas and times. However, the ordinance was contested in court and eventually abolished.
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