A man accused of stalking and planning to kidnap WWE superstar Sonya Deville has been arrested.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office found Phillip A. Thomas II, 24, inside Deville’s home in Florida.
The suspect had duct tape, a knife, zip ties and mace as well as other items in his possession at the time.
According to police, Thomas II had been planning for eight months to kidnap Deville. He broke into her patio and waited for hours for her to go to bed last night. When she did, he entered the home and set off the alarm. Deville saw the suspect, fled the home with a guest and called police.
“Our deputies are unveiling the suspect’s disturbing obsession with this homeowner who he had never met but stalked on social media for years,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “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. Our deputies arrived within minutes and arrested this man who was clearly on a mission to inflict harm.”
Thomas II’s Twitter account (@Phillip80400010) contains almost nothing but retweets of Deville or posts about Deville.
The suspect has been charged with aggravated stalking, armed burglary of a dwelling, attempted armed kidnapping and criminal mischief. He is being held without bail.
Deville herself Tweeted out this statement.
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. 🖤
— Daria Rae Berenato (@TheDariaRae) August 17, 2020
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