A Summerfield man driving without a license was jailed early Sunday morning after he was stopped in the parking lot of a Belleview bar.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy spotted 25-year-old Mark Edward Tharpe drive away from gas pumps at Wawa minimart in Belleview late Saturday night. The deputy knew Tharpe didn’t have an active driver’s license, as he had stopped him on May 24 and cited him, a sheriff’s office report states.
The deputy followed Tharpe’s white van until he pulled into the parking lot of the Opus Bar and Billiards, located at 6658 SE 110th St. Upon making contact, the deputy noted that a female had moved into the driver’s seat and Tharpe was sitting in the passenger seat, the report says.
The deputy asked Tharpe to get out of the vehicle and placed him under arrest. A computer checked showed that he had been found guilty on Aug. 21, 2018 for driving while license suspended. It also showed that his license was:
- Suspended indefinitely on June 17, 2019;
- Canceled indefinitely on Jan. 7, 2019;
- Revoked Jan. 4, 2019 for five years for fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer; and
- Suspended Dec. 15, 2017.
Tharpe, who lives at 9285 SE 162nd St. in Summerfield and listed his occupation as “water sports in Ocklawaha,” was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with driving with license suspended or revoked. He was released late Sunday afternoon on $1,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.
