Deputies searching for man who walked out during Lee County trial

Therbert Sweet, 30. Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

Deputies are searching for a man who walked out of the Lee County Courthouse during a trial that ended with his conviction for taking two people hostage in 2021.

30-year-old Therbert Sweet is on the run after leaving the courtroom during his trial.

“They had, did witnesses; they had the officers, all that had been done. And at the last moment, the guy decided not to show up anymore,” said Malcam Godwin, a criminal attorney.

Godwin is not on this case, but he knows the rundown of events in a trial like this. He explained how, legally, Sweet being out on a $120,000 bond since March gives him his everyday freedoms.

“If you know, the attorneys go on break. If the jurors go on break, well, then you can go on break because you’re on bond,” said Godwin.

When Sweet walked out the Lee County courthouse doors, there wasn’t much about him that screamed: “Escape.”

He wasn’t cuffed. He wasn’t in an orange jumpsuit. The state had just rested its case, so a court spokesperson said Sweet was taking a break to talk to his attorneys.

“The defense attorney can talk to his client about whether he should testify or not. Right. So you take a good long break in to make that decision. It seems like maybe he didn’t come back after that,” Godwin said.

Out Sweet went, and in came the guilty verdict. Now the search is on to find him and lock him up without bond.

Sweet has a violent criminal history dating back to 2007, when he was arrested for breaking into a home. Several drug arrests and other charges followed throughout the years. In February 2021, Sweet and four others abducted two people and held them hostage at a home in Bonita Springs. The two victims were going to meet up with some people at a home near San Carlos Park when they were taken.

One was bound, blindfolded, and put in the backseat of a pick-up truck, where he was then robbed. The other victim was attacked and put in another truck. Sweet and others zip-tied the victims’ hands behind their backs and left them lying on a garage floor for hours.
Sweet was charged with two counts of kidnapping and possession of a firearm, and he was found guilty after a two-day trial at the Lee County Courthouse.

Sweet will be sentenced on those kidnapping and robbery charges in late March. What’s not clear is whether he’ll face additional charges for skipping out on his trail.

No results for .