A man was arrested on Sunday at the home of WWE star Sonya Deville and charged with several felonies, one of which was related to kidnapping.
Phillip A. Thomas was arrested and charged with three felonies of attempted armed kidnapping, armed burglary, and aggravated stalking at a home in Lutz, Florida. He was also charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief. According to public records reviewed by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, the home is owned by Deville, whose real name is Daria Berenato.
Police said Thomas, 24, had been plotting to kidnap Berenato for eight months and stalked her on social media for years. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Thomas entered the home at 2:43 a.m. through a glass sliding door after the homeowner (Berenato) went to bed. That triggered the home’s alarm system, and Berenato saw Thomas when she looked out the window. Thomas had allegedly cut a hole in a patio screen before he broke in and waited several hours while monitoring what was going on inside.
The 26-year-old Berenato reportedly fled the house with a guest and called 911. Thomas was still inside the home with a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape and mace when police arrived at the scene.
“Our deputies are unveiling the suspect’s disturbing obsession with this homeowner who he had never met, but stalked on social media for years,” Chronister said in a statement. “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.”
Berenato, who is a former MMA fighter, is the first openly gay female wrestler in WWE history. She has been with the organization since 2015 and also starred in the E! network reality show “Total Divas.”
