JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of breaking into a Northside day care was arrested Sunday night, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Liddell McGrier, 43, is charged with one count of burglary.
Police said they arrested McGrier after they found him hiding in the attic of the Juzt Kidz Learning Center on Winton Drive.
The owner of Juzt Kidz, Taki Starkes-Parrish, sent News4Jax photos of the day care showing damage to the ceiling and attic.
According to Starkes-Parrish, Sunday evening was the third time in less than a week that someone broke into the learning center.
Over the last week, Starkes-Parrish said, she thought she was being targeted. But she said she had never seen McGrier before.
"I was so happy. I wanted to run up just to see if I knew him," Starkes-Parrish told News4Jax on Monday. "I actually thought I recognized him, but he really wasn't anyone who I knew."
Investigators said McGrier got into the learning center through the same hole in the wall that was created during the first burglary early Thursday morning.
Starkes-Parrish said police told her McGrier made himself a sandwich, which also happened during the second burglary, and hid in the attic of the facility before being taken into custody Sunday night.
The owner said a computer and a freezer full of meats were among some of the items stolen during the first burglary.
"We would have paid homage, in terms of, 'You hungry? We'll feed you. You need a clean shirt? We'll give you a clean shirt,'" she said. "But don't come in a learning facility where children are learning, that need their resources. And you come in and you destroy our property. You take our materials. For what?"
Police have not said whether McGrier is responsible for all three burglaries. Starkes-Parrish said that she hopes they find out soon.
She said she wants parents to know their children are safe.
"What this has made me do, I have to really ante in terms of security because these children are precious cargo," Starkes-Parrish said. "There is no value to their safety."
According to court records, McGrier has been previously arrested on grand theft and drug charges.