The Tampa Bay Times posted some new disturbing details on Phillip A. Thomas trying to break into Sonya Deville’s house over the weekend. He was later arrested for breaking and entering and on stalking charges. In Deville’s petition to the court where she was seeking protection from Thomas, she said she came face to face with him and said, “What are you doing, what do you want?”. At the time of their face to face interaction, he was holding a knife and pepper spray.
According to the arrest report and the motion filed by prosecutors, Thomas admitted to driving from South Carolina to Florida on Saturday. He parked his car — a green, two-door 1997 Ford Thunderbird with South Carolina plates — about a third of a mile away from the home, at Idlewild Church off Dale Mabry Highway and Van Dyke Road, and walked to the home carrying items including a knife, mace, plastic zip ties, window punches and duct tape. He then cut a hole in a patio screen and remained on the patio three to four hours while watching and listening through the windows. After Berenato and her friend fled, Thomas remained in the house thinking they were upstairs hiding.
As reported earlier here on eWn, Mandy Rose was at Deville’s house the night the incident took place. Deville woke her up shortly after 2:41AM when her home alarm system went off. Both of them fled to the garage and were able to escape and call police from there. According to the petition, Thomas thought Deville was still upstairs and said he was planning to use pepper spray on her and hold her hostage. He told police he planned to keep her hostage until she “answered all of his questions”. According to the prosecution, “The defendant admitted that his intention was to take Mrs. Berenato hostage by spraying her (with) pepper spray, binding her hands with the zip ties, and wrapping duct tape around her arms to prevent from fighting back. He stated that he intended to keep Mrs. Bernato hostage, preventing her from attending a planned event schedule for the following week, and that he was not going to leave her residence without her answering all of his questions.”
Deville said police gave her Thomas’ name and when she looked him up on Instagram, he had sent numerous “obsessive” messages. She said, “The nature of the messages from this account were obsessive, suicidal, idolizing, saying, ‘You are the only person I will ever love.’”
Thomas sent a message at 12:16AM on Sunday that said, “Look outside, baby, by your pool. I’m here. I’m gonna kill that little b—- you have inside with you.”
Thomas had previously sent messages saying he knew Deville’s address, made threats against her family, described sex acts, and sent her a photo of his penis.
Deville has since been granted a temporary injunction against Thomas.
Thomas remained in jail Tuesday on charges of armed kidnapping, aggravated stalking and armed burglary of a dwelling, all felonies, and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. A hearing is scheduled Thursday on the prosecution motion to prevent Thomas’ release on bail.
