Lashon Ames was released from the Marion County Jail at 10:59 a.m. Tuesday. Before midnight, he was back in lockup on six new charges.

OCALA – Lashon Ames was released from the Marion County Jail 10:59 a.m. Tuesday after spending nearly a month behind bars on a burglary charge. Before midnight, the 36-year-old Ocala man was back at the jail on half a dozen new charges.

At 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Ocala Police Department officers were told that people had seen a man smashing vehicle windows in the 1400 block of South Pine Avenue. While driving around the area, Sgt. Lenny Uptagraft saw the man, later identified as Ames, who had an American flag covering his upper body and was walking south in the 1500 block of the avenue.

Officer Mike Diesso saw Ames in front of the Dixie Motel at 1539 S. Pine Ave. It appeared that he was folding the flag. When he saw the officer, Ames threw the flag in the road and kept walking south. Diesso stopped Ames and asked him why he threw the flag in the road. Ames, who appeared to be intoxicated, told him a friend gave it to him and that he had been waving it all day.

Ames was not carrying any identification, but gave Diesso his name. As Diesso was pulling up information on his computer, Officer Amado Burgos arrived and saw that Ames, who was lying on the ground, was reaching for his right ankle. Burgos saw a bulge in Ames' pants leg and detained him out of concern for everyone's safety.

Ames gave the officers permission to search him. They found a bottle of Nautica cologne and playing cards near his ankle. In his pockets, they found a razor knife, lipstick, a broken CD, cash, keys and a scratch-off Lotto ticket.

Officers said they believe Ames stole the flag from Budget Printing at 1519 S. Pine Ave.

Watch Commander Sgt. Angy Scroble brought some witnesses to the scene, who identified Ames as the man they had seen breaking vehicle windows.

Officers said three vehicles had been burglarized.

Surveillance video images showed Ames breaking the front passenger window of a gold Nissan. He got in the car and rummaged around and threw some items outside.

The same video showed him kicking the front door at the Muffler Man Shop and falling down. He got up and ripped off the front door handle and began beating on the door with it. He also hurled some type of metal object at the window. The video shows Ames walking around the north side of the business and then returning with the door handle, a stuffed animal and a bowling pin. He hit the Nissan with the door handle and dropped the stuffed animal and the bowling pin on the ground and walked away.

At OPD, where he was interviewed by Detective Robert Brown, Ames denied knowing anything and claimed the only thing he had in his possession was cigarettes. During the interview, Ames urinated on himself and the floor.

Ames was arrested at 11:50 p.m. and was taken back to the jail. He faces six charges, including property damage, petit theft and burglary of a conveyance.

State records show Ames was released from prison in August 2015 after serving time for escape and petit theft.

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.