HCSO photo LUTZ, Fla. - Deputies say a burglar alarm thwarted the efforts of a social media stalker who had been planning for months to take a Lutz resident hostage.According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, it was just before 3 a.m.
when the suspect – identified as Phillip A. Thomas II of South Carolina – broke into a home along Pine Hammock Boulevard inside the Promenade at Lake Park subdivision.The home’s alarm was triggered when Thomas opened the sliding glass door, waking the two people inside.
When they saw the intruder, they fled and called 911.When deputies arrived, they say Thomas was still inside the home, armed with a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, and mace."It's frightening to think of all the ways this incident.