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Florida Man Brings Getaway Horse To Burglary, Authorities Say
“Who takes a getaway horse to a robbery?” the surprised owner of the home said, upon Lonnie Maddox’s arrest.
A man calling himself "The Rooster" brought a horse to act as his getaway from a home burglary in Florida — but the horse wandered away, while the man ended up behind bars.
Authorities arrested 52-year-old Lonnie Maddox Thursday after he and a horse named Angel were spotted on security camera footage wandering around a New Port Richey home, The Tampa Tribune reports.
Deputies from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said Maddox allegedly tried to open a screen porch to get into the padlocked front door of the home, but later decided to enter the home through the back window, causing about $100 worth of damage.
As Maddox tried to break into the home, the horse wandered off, leaving Maddox to face authorities on his own.
The home’s owner, Steve Ferguson, spotted Maddox on security footage and called the sheriff’s office.
Ferguson had bought the property a year earlier and planned to use it as rental property, but had installed the security cameras and “No Trespassing” signs after the home was broken into in the past, according to Bay News 9.
He later said he was surprised to learn Maddox had been aided in the burglary by a horse.
“Who takes a getaway horse to a robbery?” he said according to The Tampa Tribune.
After making the call to authorities, Ferguson drove to the property himself and encountered the unexpected surprise.
"Upon arrival, I saw the horse running up the street," he told Bay News 9.
When deputies arrived at the scene to respond to the burglary call, Maddox reportedly approached them to ask whether they had seen a horse, the arrest report said.
He told investigators that the horse had gone through a broken fence at the property and that he had simply been following the horse. He claimed he had looked inside the home because was considering renting the property.
Maddox also reportedly told Ferguson a similar reason for being on the property.
"I said, 'What were you doing in my house?'" Ferguson said. "The guy said, 'My horse broke into your house, mister, and I had to go in and get her.' I said, 'OK, so she broke into the gate and then the porch and then the house?'"
Angel was recovered about two miles away from the site and was later reunited with her owner.
Maddox did not own the horse, and it isn’t clear whether or not he had permission to take her on the alleged crime spree.
He is now facing burglary charges.
