A Florida man, 52, faces grand theft charges after getting caught on camera brazenly walking out of a hospital in broad daylight with a $48,000 operating room table, wheeling it to the hospital's loading dock and into the back of a white van, according to police, who Saturday arrested the suspect on burglary and grand theft charges.

Lance James Sayre, 52, walked into a supposedly secure area of the Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, according to an arrest affidavit from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Mr. Sayre, who up until the time of his arrest was an equipment repair vendor at the hospital, took a Berchtold operating bed worth $47,945.97. Surveillance cameras at the hospital captured the incident on video. An arrest affidavit does not indicate whether police recovered the stolen surgical table. Hospital spokesperson Beth Hardy declined to comment on whether the table is back in the hospital, citing the ongoing police investigation.

"The hospital is reviewing its security procedures and making determinations if we need to change anything we're doing," says Ms. Hardy.

Mr. Sayre was arrested Saturday, 6 days after the July 5 theft at the 687-bed hospital with about 25 ORs. He was charged with burglary and grand theft, both felonies, and was released from custody after posting $15,000 bond.

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr. Sayre, a Tampa resident, has worked as a "master field service technician" in the "medical devices" field. An arrest affidavit lists Mr. Sayre as self-employed. Mr. Sayre's rap sheet includes prior arrests for aggravated battery and contempt of court, and a 1985 conviction for felony grand theft. Mr. Sayre's phone number is unlisted.

Dan O'Connor