Early Sunday morning a man by the name of Phillip A. Thomas II was arrested outside Sonya Deville’s home according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The report notes that he has been charged with aggravated stalking, armed burglary of a dwelling, attempted armed kidnapping, criminal mischief, and that he is being held without bail.
Thomas had been planning the abduction for 8 months according to the police. He reportedly waited on Sonya Deville’s property for three to four hours and cut a hole in her patio screen in order to listen.
He waited for her to go to bed, then he attempted to enter the home through a sliding glass door, which set off an alarm. Deville spotted Thomas and then left with a guest in a car.
According to the report Thomas was carrying, “a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, mace and other items, and told deputies he was planning to take the homeowner hostage.”
“Our deputies are unveiling the suspect’s disturbing obsession with this homeowner who he had never met, but stalked on social media for years,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “It’s frightening to think of all the ways this incident could have played out had the home alarm not gone off and alerted the homeowner of an intruder.”
Sonya Deville issued the following statement on the arrest:
“Thank you everyone for your love and concern. A very frightening experience but thankfully everyone is safe. A special thank you to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for their response and assistance.”
