The panties thief strikes again, but this time he was caught on camera

Published: Updated:
The Lehigh Acres panites thief. Photo via Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.
The Lehigh Acres panites thief. Photo via Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.

For the second time this year, a thief broke into Premier Tatum’s home in Lehigh Acres.

“He had on boots, he had on gloves, he had on a jacket and he had his face covered,” Tatum said. “The way this guy looked — he had done this before.”

While it is hard to decipher the mindset of a criminal, when the thief broke into Tatum’s home for a second time, he most likely did not suspect to be caught in camera.

“When he entered the room, it kinda stops your heart,” Tatum said. “It’s terrifying. What if I was home or my wife was home alone?”

On the camera, the vandal can be seen picking up a liquor bottle of Jack Daniels. Tatum said the thief also swindled valuables of over a thousands dollar from his home.

These items include a combination of money, a laptop, heirloom jewelry and one other item that has been giving homeowners the creeps.

“He took some bras,” Tatum said, “and some of her panties.”

The privacy violation committed by the thief is classified as a fetish crime. Fetish crimes are often warning signs that a suspect has the potential for more dangerous crimes, such as rape, as the vandal invades a person’s personal space while keeping a memento from the incident.

“Who knows how many people he has done this to and maybe have hurt someone,” Tatum said.

At one point while the thief was plundering the residence, he grabs the camera, which was disguised as a Bluetooth speaker and tosses it to the side — ambivalent to its significance.

Tatum hopes he will help catch the criminal. He told WINK News that on one photo, the burglar’s face was uncovered.

Tatum said the intruder is over six feet tall and seems to walk around with a limp. Police believe the vandal lives nearby. If you recognize this person, contact Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.