A 19-year-old man has been charged with causing more than $12,000 worth of damage to the athletic fields and other property at Patterson Mill High School in October 2010.

Daniel Joseph Canatella, 19, of the 2500 block of Buckingham Court, was charged last week with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, unauthorized removal of property, theft between $1,000 and $10,000, trespassing on school property, fourth-degree burglary and two counts of vandalism.

The incident dates to Oct. 20 and 21, 2010, when Canatella allegedly used a universal key to access construction equipment near Patterson Mill High School and stole a Bobcat excavator between 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 and 10:06 a.m. on Oct. 21, according to charging documents.

With the Bobcat, Canatella allegedly drove through school property, causing several ruts in the athletic fields, destroyed a shed and pushed several poles over to damage a fence and backstop at the baseball diamond, according to charging documents. The total damage was estimated around $12,000.

During the Harford County Sheriff's Office's investigation, three witnesses told police that Canatella told them he had confessed to the crime, and that he had a universal key to the equipment and the knowledge needed to use it.

Canatella was arrested by the sheriff's office Nov. 23 and released on recognizance the same day.

Construction equipment was also used in a vandalism incident at Patterson Mill in February 2010 that involved damage to the school's football scoreboard. Three young men are suspected in that case, which sheriff's office spokeswoman Monica Worrell said Tuesday is an "active, ongoing investigation."

As for any connections between the two incidents, Worrell said only that what the sheriff's office believes happened and can prove are "two different things" in a court of law.

Anyone with direct knowledge in the February 2011 vandalism is encouraged to call Det. Michael Berg, 410-612-1717.