Florida man dubbed 'Nail Bandit' accused of sabotaging fire rescue vehicles with sharp objects

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. - A so-called "Nail Bandit" faces criminal charges after Florida deputies say he repeatedly used sharp objects to damage fire rescue vehicles for more than a year and a half.

Operation Nail Bandit

The backstory:

According to the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office, investigators noticed a pattern of someone intentionally throwing sharp objects – including nails and modified wire wheels – behind fire rescue vehicles and emergency access points.

Courtesy: Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives conducted weeks of surveillance, according to the sheriff's office, and caught John Starnes, 72, in the act during the early morning hours of Thursday, July 10.

Deputies pulled Starnes over, at which point they say he confessed to sabotaging emergency vehicles numerous times over a period of nearly two years.

Mugshot of John Starnes. Courtesy: Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office.

What they're saying:

At a news conference Thursday, Sheriff Noel Stephen said Starnes had a "beef" with Okeechobee County Fire Rescue and county commissioners, and he "thought it best that he'd go ahead and handle the situation himself."

"We're not going to allow this kind of stuff, especially to our first responders – our men and women of the sheriff's office out here doing their jobs to save lives," Stephen said.

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What's next:

The sheriff's office says Starnes faces multiple felony charges.