TAVARES, Fla. – A man was arrested Thursday near Tavares after allegedly committing multiple crimes including grand theft auto, burglary, and criminal mischief at several public buildings, according to an arrest affidavit.

Ronald Harmon, 43, faces charges related to incidents at Lake Technical College, the Tavares Public Works Department, and the Utilities Administration Building on Captain Haynes Road, records show.

Officers responded early Thursday to reports of forced entry and vehicle break-ins. Surveillance footage captured Harmon on the campus overnight, using a skid steer to force open a garage door to one of the bays at Lake Technical College and causing significant damage.

Tavares police Cpl. Caitlin Diaz said Harmon got the skid steer from the public works department.

“So, it did not have the keys in it, but my understanding is there’s some way to override a factory setting, so if he had knowledge of skid steers, he would have had the ability to override it,” Diaz said.

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Further investigation revealed damage and theft at the nearby Utilities Administration Building, where locks had been removed and doors were damaged, police said. Tools and copper water valve parts were reportedly found by a shattered glass door while numerous keys were missing from offices and scattered around the building.

Police said they found several items in one office, including a shirt that matched Harmon’s in the surveillance video, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes and two V8 drinks. They said none of these items belonged to the employee whose office they were in.

Diaz said the suspect didn’t work for the city and didn’t have a connection to Tavares Public Works.

“It was totally random,” Diaz said. “We are not sure at this time what his motives were. Maybe he just decided that was going to be the day he was just going to try to do something or just saw an opportunity and seized it.”

According to the report, while police were investigating, another employee noticed one of the city’s work trucks was missing. Police were eventually able to track down the truck, along with Harmon.

“He ended up taking the public works truck and we ended up locating him because he was driving recklessly,” Diaz said. “So, citizen complaint informed us that of the reckless driver and we were able to do a high-risk traffic stop on him and arrest him.”

He faces charges of grand theft auto, two counts of criminal mischief greater than $1,000, two counts of burglary to an unoccupied dwelling, and driving while license suspended (second offense). The estimated cost of damage and stolen property totaled tens of thousands of dollars, according to police.

Diaz said in total, Harmon caused about $59,000 worth of damage.

When police arrested Harmon, they found he has an extensive criminal history, including two active out-of-state warrants. He is currently being held in the Lake County Jail on a $57,500 bond.

News 6 asked the police for more details about the two warrants, but additional information was not immediately available.