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Citrus County Sheriff's Office authorities are asking for the public's help to identify this individual who burglarized Lecanto Middle School early June 26, 2022.

A Lecanto man was jailed under accusations he stole from the Lecanto school complex, taking fuel, two golf carts and a school resource officer’s tactical gear and firearm.

It’s alleged 32-year-old Nicholas Bruce Kaufman is responsible for three separate incidents reported at the Roger Weaver Lecanto Educational Complex since the school year ended, according to the sheriff’s office and Kaufman’s arrest affidavits.

Sheriff’s office deputies responded most recently on Sunday, June 26, to Lecanto Middle School, where the construction company remodeling the school reported it was missing power tools and an E-Z-GO golf cart.

Deputies also found numerous power tools near a gun safe used to store the school resource officer’s ballistic helmet, ballistic shield, bulletproof vest and AR-style rifle. According to Kaufman’s arrest reports, the safe’s door was sawn open, and its contents were missing.

Surveillance footage showed a masked man walking onto the school complex from the west, and then exiting Lecanto High School with a bottle of cleaning supplies.

Citrus County Sheriff's Office authorities are asking for the public's help to identify this individual who burglarized Lecanto Middle School early June 26, 2022.

Investigators walked the fence line of the complex to find tracks they followed south along power lines, over West Grover Cleveland Boulevard, and farther south into a vacant lot off of West Whippoorwill Street, where a steel container was by itself in the middle of the property.

Authorities obtained a warrant to search the container, where the stolen E-Z-GO golf cart was found inside.

Investigators continued following the tracks to a cut fence opening at the rear of a homestead in the 3800 block of West Klett Path, where a second golf cart matching the description of the cart stolen during a June 14 burglary at Lecanto Middle School was also found.

Authorities learned Kaufman lived at the house, and found him walking near West Whippoorwill Street and South Chickadee Avenue before detaining him.

According to his arrest reports, Kaufman admitted to going to the school complex three times to steal the golf carts, the school resource officer’s gun and gear, and fuel from three school vehicles by drilling holes into their fuel tanks.

Kaufman also pointed out to authorities other stolen items he kept in his home.

Deputies arrested Kaufman June 29 on charges of armed burglary, firearm theft, possessing a bulletproof vest while committing a crime, criminal mischief, two counts of burglary, and two counts of theft between $750 and $5,000.

Kaufman was jailed under a total bond of $48,000, which a judge left unchanged during Kaufman’s first court appearance on June 30. July 20 was scheduled as Kaufman’s arraignment.

Contact Chronicle reporter Buster Thompson at 352-564-2916,  bthompson@chronicleonline.com or visit tinyurl.com/yxn2ahso to see more of his stories.

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