Man arrested in Cape Coral for burglary; gets bitten by K-9 unit

The Cape Coral Police Department has arrested a man for burglary after a brief chase that came to an end thanks to a bite from a K-9.

When Shellie Rhymers moved into her home near the old golf course off Country Club Boulevard six weeks ago, she figured it would be like most Cape Coral neighborhoods.

“Super low-key, lots of retired people on the street actually,” said Rhymers.

So when Rhymers woke up to what she describes as an episode of “Cops” Friday night, She didn’t know what to think.

“It almost seemed like a war zone for just a minute there. I mean, the helicopter, you could hear it right over the roof, and the dogs were barking right outside our window,” she said.

Little did she know Nathan Fickle, 31, had led Cape Coral police on a chase on foot, wheels and even through a pond.

Earlier that night, CCPD said, Fickle ransacked a truck on Southeast 10th Avenue before ​heading into an unlocked apartment. While there, he cracked open a can of soda and cut up a cucumber in the victim’s kitchen.

The occupant woke up and found Fickle. He thinks his CPAP mask may have scared the intruder, since he asked if he was OK before making his escape on the victim’s electric tricycle.

Police said Fickle tried to break into another home before fleeing into the golf course area and swimming across the pond behind Rhymer’s house in an attempt to escape.

“You could see somebody in the bushes,” said Rhymers.

One bite from a CCPD K-9 later, Fickle was in custody.

Now, neighbors are left with quite the story to tell.

“I mean, you can’t make this up, right? That is the complete epic Florida man story right there,” said Rhymers. “We were thinking, ‘Oh, nothing will ever happen. We won’t even get the coyotes in our backyard.’ No, just a burglar with a dog bite. That’s all.”

Fickle faces multiple felony charges, including burglary of an occupied dwelling with battery.