A 30-year-old man, who experiencing homelessness, was arrested for trespassing after a worker at Bloomingfoods called the police, according to Bloomington Police Sgt. Dana Cole.
Police were dispatched to the Bloomingfoods located on 6th Street Wednesday, December 30th at 5:19 p.m. after a report of trespassing. Police soon located a man in a Carhartt jacket and jeans, outside the business and advised him of trespass. As the police approached the man, he began to walk away, but police asked him to stop. The man told the police he was just passing through the area, and had not been loitering. However, police placed him under arrest for trespassing.
The same man was most recently reported as loitering and panhandling outside Bloomingfoods on December 13th. The same individual has been warned of trespass by the Bloomington Police on at least 10 other occasions, according to BPD Sgt. Dana Cole.
This man has been warned of trespass at the following locations in the past several months: 300 W. 8th Street, the Circle K at Kirkwood and Rogers, Sahara Mart, the Circle K at Grimes and Walnut, Bedrak Café, and Marathon gas station at 601 E. 10th.
The man is facing a charge of criminal trespass, which is a A level misdemeanor.
The Indiana General Assembly passed an anti-panhandling law in 2020, but it was the subject of a lawsuit:
https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/federal-court-blocks-indiana-panhandling-law
