A man was arrested Sunday and charged with kidnapping a resident of Lutz, Fla., Who had been on social media for years, according to Kavitha Surana of the Tampa Bay Times.
The name of the victim was not released, but the house where the arrest was made is owned by WWE star Sonya Deville, whose real name is Daria Berenato. The suspect, 24-year-old Phillip A. Thomas II from South Carolina, had apparently planned the abduction for eight months.
According to the Sheriff’s Office of Hillsborough County, Thomas entered the house at midnight by cutting a hole in the patio screen, and then went through a sliding glass door at 2:43 a.m. after observing the occupant fell asleep. . His entrance triggered an alarm, and the homeowner fled with a guest in a car when he saw Thomas on the property.
Deputies arrived on the scene to find Thomas still inside the house with a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, mace and other items. He told deputies he was planning to take the homeowner hostage.
“Our deputies are discovering the suspect’s restless obsession with this homeowner he has never met but stalked on social media for years,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the news release. “It’s horrible to think of all the ways this incident could have played out if the home alarm didn’t go off and alert the homeowner of a burglar.”
A prison booking sheet lists Thomas as an Applebee crew member. Thomas’ Twitter account contained many messages about Berenato. Berenato, 26, stars on WWEs SmackDown program on Fox, as well as the reality show Total Divas on the E! network.
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