TAVARES, Fla. – Authorities detained a man on Thursday near Tavares, suspected of various offenses such as grand theft auto, burglary, and vandalism across numerous public facilities, as reported in an arrest affidavit.
Ronald Harmon, 43, is facing charges associated with incidents at Lake Technical College, the Tavares Public Works Department, and the Utilities Administration Building on Captain Haynes Road, according to the records.
Police responded early Thursday to alerts about forced entries and vehicle break-ins. Surveillance video showed Harmon on campus during the night, using a skid steer to break open a garage door at a bay in Lake Technical College, causing substantial damage.
Tavares police Cpl. Caitlin Diaz said Harmon got the skid steer from the public works department.
“Though it didn’t have the keys, I’ve heard there’s a method to bypass a factory setting, so if he knew about skid steers, he might have succeeded in overriding it,” Diaz explained.
Further probing revealed theft and damages at the nearby Utilities Administration Building, where locks were removed and doors were broken, as stated by the police. Tools and parts of copper water valves were discovered near a broken glass door, while numerous keys appeared missing or misplaced around the building.
Officers said they discovered several items in one office that included a shirt matching that of Harmon in the video footage, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, and two V8 drinks, asserting that none of the items belonged to the office’s employee.
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.
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