Incidents of vandalism reported at health department buildings in Warren and Edmonson counties and at a health department employee’s home in Barren County over a period of several months have been linked by police to one person, who was arrested Thursday.

Timothy G. Russell, 40, of Bowling Green was booked into Warren County Regional Jail on charges of first-degree stalking, third-degree attempted arson, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, third-degree burglary, intimidating a participant in the legal process and violation of a Kentucky EPO/DVO.

Kentucky State Police announced Russell’s arrest Friday in a news release, saying that KSP Post 3 in Bowling Green was contacted Oct. 31 about a series of vandalism incidents and a burglary at the Barren River District Health Department building on State Street.

According to an arrest citation, Russell was alleged to have targeted a former girlfriend who worked with the health department.

Police were informed that Russell was reported to have placed a note that said “DARE” on the woman’s car on July 7 while it was parked at Hillvue Heights Church and that video surveillance from the health department showed multiple incidents of vandalism and burglary committed by a man wearing what the arrest citation describes as two different “old man-type masks.”

Reported incidents included someone spray-painting “rat” and “12” on the building, and one particular incident mentioned in the citation involved a person spray-painting “The Sewer Rat” with an arrow pointed at the woman’s office window.

The woman reported an incident from Sept. 27 in which someone left a plastic rat on top of her car near her home with her initials painted on it, records show.

“(Russell) was developed as a suspect in the vandalisms and burglary after it was discovered that he had recently been fired from his job…and his ex-girlfriend had ended their relationship prior to the incidents occurring,” KSP Detective Allen Shirley wrote in an arrest citation.

Police also reviewed video surveillance footage from the Edmonson County office of the Barren River District Health Department that showed a masked man posting an “explicit flyer” on a door outside the building and sitting in a car that was registered to Russell, the citation said.

The woman was granted an emergency protective order against Russell in July, and records show that police obtained search warrants enabling them to uncover evidence that Russell’s cell phone pinged to towers in the area of the Bowling Green health department office during the reported vandalisms.

On Nov. 28, Russell was captured on doorbell camera footage at the woman’s home pouring what police believe was a flammable liquid on several plants on and around her porch, Russell’s arrest citation said.

“The individual also put a nail strip behind the ex-girlfriend’s driver side rear tire while it sat in her driveway,” the citation said. “A trooper who collected soil samples from the area the liquid was poured advised that it smelled like gasoline. The individual in the video was wearing an old man type mask similar to the masks worn during the vandalisms at the (health department).”

KSP was granted search warrants for Russell’s residence and car, and troopers recovered two masks from a bag on the kitchen floor and four Wal-Mart gift cards believed to have been taken from the health department in Bowling Green on Oct. 10, Shirley said in the citaiton.

KSP said that the stalking, attempted arson, EPO violation and witness intimidation charges will be prosecuted against Russell in Barren County, while Russell will come up on criminal mischief and burglary counts in Warren County.

Russell remains jailed under a $25,000 cash bond.