ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Investigators said an Orlando man stole thousands of dollars in electronics from some of the area’s premier hotels – and he did it, all while pretending to be working there.

Detectives said 44-year-old Timothy Mikus was searching for expensive audio-visual equipment and would simply walk into hotels like the Ritz Carlton, the J.W. Marriot, the Marriot World Center, and the Disney-area Dolphin Hotel.

Investigators said Mikus would walk out with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in goods, and no one ever stopped him.

"A hotel employee would ask what he was going to do," said Jeff Williamson, with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. "He would say 'I'm here to pick up some audio equipment,' and that's exactly what he was going to do."

But eventually security at the different hotels started comparing notes on the thefts and saw someone that looked a lot like Mikus on each of their surveillance systems. That's when they started posting his picture around the hotels.

It turns out the stolen equipment was being sold to pawn shops. Detectives were able to trace those transactions to Mikus.

According to court documents, Mikus told detectives he started stealing because he was on a sabbatical from the rock band he played guitar in and had to support a drug habit.

As of August 16, 2007, Mikus remained in the Orange County Jail.