Baryn Helbing, 20, of Indian Trail, North Carolina, may be on probation until 2026 following a court ruling on five felony charges against him.
Helbing was linked to the thefts of a low-speed vehicle and an electric bicycle on April 10, 2023, and identified by police with video footage on April 11, 2023.
Holmes Beach police found Helbing riding the stolen electric bike April 12 and arrested him.
Police searched Helbing and found buprenorphine, a controlled substance, in his bag.
He was transported to the Manatee County jail, where he was released the same day after posting $14,000 bond.
Helbing was charged with two second-degree felonies for burglary of an unoccupied dwelling; two third-degree felonies for grand theft; and a third-degree felony for possession of buprenorphine without a prescription.
He pleaded guilty to all charges July 2.
12th Circuit Judge Frederick Mercurio ruled the same day to withhold adjudication for the felonies against Helbing.
Withholding adjudication allows a sentence to be imposed without a formal criminal conviction.
Mercurio sentenced Helbing to complete six months of community control, an intensive supervision program, followed by 24 months of probation for each count to be served concurrently.
Mercurio signed off on a July 3 order to provide Helbing a temporary permit to travel home to North Carolina while his probation was transferred there.
However, a warrant for Helbing’s arrest was issued July 9 after he was found to have violated the terms of community control by leaving the county without his probation officer’s consent.
Punishment for violating probation can include modification or revocation of probationary terms, as well as incarceration up to the statutory maximum penalty for the original offense.