Authorities have arrested a 27-year-old Riverdale man in connection with last week's theft of the Forsyth County coroner's sport utility vehicle.

Anthony Carmon was charged  Sunday night with theft by taking-vehicle and interference with government property, Forsyth County Sheriff's investigators said.

Sheriff's Lt. Col. Gene Moss said additional arrests and charges are possible in the theft, which happened between 11 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 a.m. Friday.

"This truck and all this equipment turned out to be a hot potato for them really," Moss said. "They panicked and didn't know what to do with it."

Authorities say the 2006 black Ford Expedition, which was taken from the driveway of Coroner Lauren McDonald's home in the Haw Creek subdivision, was not damaged.

Carmon also was charged with three counts of entering auto in connection with another incident in McDonald's south Forsyth neighborhood and two incidents in the nearby Gates subdivision. Residents had reported tools and other items missing.

All of the charges against Carmon, who claimed to have a job in Forsyth County, are felonies.

He remained in custody Wednesday at the Forsyth County Detention Center, where a jail spokeswoman said bond had been set at $23,001.

McDonald said investigators "did a wonderful job."

"One of getting the bad guy off the streets, plus returning the county property," he said. "I'm very happy."
McDonald, who had left the doors to the SUV unlocked and the keys under the seat, said the incident has him thinking twice.

"Whenever you have a situation, you rethink everything and that it would be better to do things a little differently next time," he said. "I'm very happy for my family's sake and for everybody else's sake."

McDonald said county mechanics are evaluating the truck.

"The county shop's just going through it and making sure there aren't any safety issues," he said.

The truck and some of the missing property were found at separate locations in Riverdale.

Cumming Police Chief Mike Eason said some of the recovered property was taken last week from a residence at the Overlook Apartments in Cumming.

"We went with them on the search warrant," Eason said. "We'll be charging him up here as well with burglary."

Following a lead Saturday, investigators found some of the coroner's equipment from the truck in a Dumpster at an apartment complex in Riverdale.

Sheriff's Capt. Paul Taylor said Carmon was arrested Sunday at a BP gas station near McFarland Parkway and Ga. 400. He had the keys to the coroner's truck in his pocket.

Investigators said Carmon led them to the truck, which was parked at a residence on Quail Hunt Drive in Riverdale.