BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – A Berkeley County man will spend the next 15 years behind bars in a Florida prison for stalking and attempting to kidnap WWW wrestling star Sonya Deville three years ago.
Court records show that Phillip Arnold Thomas, 26, of Cordesville has pled guilty to armed burglary of a dwelling, attempted armed kidnapping, aggravated stalking with a weapon and criminal mischief less than $200.
A judge handed down the lengthy sentence in mid-April.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, at 2:43 a.m., Thomas entered Deville’s home in the Lake Park subdivision in Lutz, located along Pine Hammock Boulevard.
Detectives said Thomas parked his car at Idle Wild Church earlier that night, walked to the wrestler’s home, cut a hole in the patio screen, and remained there for approximately three to four hours, watching and listening through the windows.
After Deville went to bed, deputies said Thomas entered her home through the back sliding glass door, which activated the home alarm, and prompted the wrestler to look out the window and spot Thomas on her property.
Deville and her guest fled the home in a car and called 911. When deputies arrived, Thomas was still inside her home. Deputies said they discovered he was carrying a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, mace and other personal items.
During the investigation, detectives discovered Thomas lived in Cordesville and came to Lutz to specifically target Deville. He told deputies he was planning to take the wrestler hostage.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said Thomas had stalked Deville on social media for years before traveling to her Florida home in an attempt to kidnap her. The sheriff said neither Thomas nor Deville had ever met in person.
“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,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said at the time of the incident. “Our deputies arrived within minutes and arrested this man who was clearly on a mission to inflict harm.”
Following Thomas’ arrest, Deville took to Twitter to thank the deputies for their response.
“Thank you, everyone, for your love and concern,” she posted. “A very frightening experience but thankfully everyone is safe. A special thank you to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for their response and assistance.”
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