A Florida man who served time in prison for burglary was arrested after allegedly breaking into a couple’s home in what was deemed a violent home invasion robbery.
On August 12, while a Pinellas Park neighborhood was without power, a woman answered her front door, thinking the mail carrier had arrived. Instead, it was reportedly a 57-year-old handyman who had previously done work on the home where she and her fiancé reside. According to reports, before she realized what was happening, the man entered without an invitation and struck her in the head. When the woman’s fiancé got home, he immediately found himself engaged in a violent attack.
The suspect allegedly had sharp objects, later identified as a screwdriver and a knife, in his hand, and when the man walked through the door, he found his fiancée tied to the bed. The man was reportedly slashed multiple times on several parts of his body, in addition to being stabbed in the eye and hand. He wrestled the knife away and stabbed the suspect, leaving the man bloody and severely wounded on the living room floor.
Pinellas Park police officers went to the address, and one of the alleged victims informed them that they believed the suspect had attacked them in an attempt to steal money from them. The couple was taken to the hospital, and it was reported that their injuries were not life-threatening.
The man, who was recorded in the arrest report as a transient from the St. Petersburg area, was treated at a local hospital. The following morning, he was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. He is facing preliminary charges of two felony counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon – home invasion, a felony count of robbery with a weapon, and a felony count of false imprisonment. According to facility records, at the time this was written, he was being held in lieu of a $455,000 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.