Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ricardo A. Martin, 40, was arrested yesterday morning after police said he exposed himself while sitting in a recliner outside the loading dock at the Goodwill Retail Store and Donation Center on NW 23rd Avenue.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, an officer was approached at about 9 a.m. on July 12 by a Goodwill employee who reported that a man was openly masturbating outside the business. The employee said she arrived for work and saw a man seated in a recliner near the loading bay, touching his exposed genitals. The officer noted in the report that the loading bay area can be seen from both the sidewalk and the roadway.
The employee told police she confronted the man verbally, after which he allegedly spread his legs further, exposing himself in what she described as a “vulgar” manner, and continued masturbating.
The officer reported approaching the man, later identified as Martin, and observing him seated in the recliner with his eyes closed while actively masturbating under his shorts. When the officer called out, Martin appeared startled, according to the report. Asked what he was doing, he allegedly responded that he was scratching himself.
Martin, whose listed address is GRACE Marketplace, was charged with indecent exposure. Court records show he has two non-violent felony convictions and nine non-violent misdemeanor convictions. He was arrested in October 2024 on allegations of molesting a young child while babysitting and remained in the Alachua County Jail until February 2026, when those charges were dropped. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $20,000 in the new case.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
