A man in South Carolina was arrested Sunday for attempted kidnapping and other crimes after he allegedly broke into the Florida home of professional wrestler Sonya Deville with a knife, mace and duct tape, authorities said.
Phillip Thomas, 24, had apparently planned to take Deville hostage for more than eight months, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. He had stalked her for years on social media, the release said.
The release did not identify Deville, whose real name is Daria Berenato, as the victim. But the Associated Press reported that Thomas was arrested at a home in Tampa area owned by Berenato.
In a tweet Monday, Berenato, which also appears in the E! reality show “Total Divas” thanked the sheriff’s office and called the event “very scary.”
“Fortunately, everyone is safe,” she said.
The sheriff’s office said Thomas from South Carolina drove to the Lutz community, north of Tampa, and parked his car at a church near the house. He cut a hole in the patio screen of the residence and waited for the homeowner and a guest to go to bed, the release said.
At 2:43 a.m., Thomas opened the sliding glass door of the house, activated an alarm and requested a call from 911, the release said. The release said the homeowner and guest fled.
When deputies arrived, Thomas said he was driving out of state with the intent to take the homeowner hostage, the release said.
“Our deputies are discovering the suspect’s restless obsession with this homeowner he had never met but followed on social media for years,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said, according to the release. “It is appalling to think of all the ways this incident could have played out had the house alarm not gone off and alerted the homeowner of a burglar.”
Thomas was arrested on suspicion of aggravated stalking, armed burglary, attempted armed abduction and criminal misconduct.
Jail records show he is being held without restraint.
A message to the local Public Defender’s Office representing him was not immediately returned.
