Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ryan Jay Gasser, 54, was arrested after he allegedly exposed himself to a group of young women while panhandling near the intersection of West University Avenue and 13th Street.
At approximately 6:10 p.m. on Oct. 13, a Gainesville Police Department officer was dispatched to the intersection after a caller reported that a man in a blue cap, black shirt, shorts and backpack was standing in the median and yelling at young women waiting to cross the street. According to the report, the man lifted his shirt, pulled down his shorts and exposed his genitals before dancing toward the women with them “exposed and waving around” while continuing to shout.
The officer located Gasser on the intersection’s northwest corner. He was wearing clothing matching the caller’s description and was reportedly dancing and yelling at another group of women.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Gasser denied exposing himself. However, according to the report, he did not provide a direct answer when asked whether he had been standing in the median.
A search conducted after his arrest reportedly turned up a burnt glass pipe. The officer wrote that he had prior knowledge of Gasser and knew him to be “a heavy narcotics abuser.”
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A search of Gasser’s backpack at the jail reportedly found a small tube containing a white rock. The substance tested positive for fentanyl and weighed approximately 0.01 grams.
Gasser faces charges of controlled-substance possession, indecent exposure and possession of drug paraphernalia. His latest criminal history was unavailable because records in indecent-exposure cases are not made public. However, in 2023, he had three nonviolent felony convictions and 10 nonviolent misdemeanor convictions. A court document from April 2023 described him as homeless. His Alachua County record also includes multiple trespassing arrests from 2006 and 2007, as well as two panhandling arrests in 2011.
Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $52,000.
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.
