A man with a ‘disturbing obsession’ for WWE star Sonya Deville was arrested Sunday morning after breaking into her Florida home, according to a report.
After more than eight months of planning, Phillip Thomas, 24, apparently traveled from South Carolina to the home of Deville in Lutz, Fl., With the intent of taking the professional wrestler hostile, police said.
Without identifying Deville, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the homeowner was specifically targeted during the 2:45 p.m.
ESPN reported, via property records, that Deville owns the house.
Deville and a guest were tipped off at Thomas’ entrance when their security alarm went off when the suspect broke in through a back barn door, police said. The two victims then fled the house and called 911.
Before going inside, Thomas apparently cut a hole in the patio screen and waited about four hours for Deville to go to bed.
Thomas was still at home when officers arrived. He was found with a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape and mace.
“Our deputies are discovering the suspect’s disturbing obsession with this homeowner he has never met but stalked on social media for years,” Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County said in a statement.
The suspect was charged with aggravated stalking, armed burglary of a residence, attempted armed abduction, and criminal misdemeanor.
“It’s horrible to think of all the ways this incident could have unfolded if the home alarm did not go off and alert the homeowner of a burglar,” Chronister said.
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