A Florida man camped out with a Louisville Slugger bat and a beer in order to catch an alleged “peeping Tom” who had been harassing his neighborhood for over a year.
Flagler County deputies say that the dad had caught a man trying to get a look at his 14-year-old daughter at their home in Palm Coast.
‘So, my husband came up and was like, “Surprise, [expletive],” and then whacked him with the bat.’
The victim’s mother told WESH-TV that they had seen the man a day before her husband chased him.
“My cat started to get a little squirrely, so I peeked out and saw a huge silhouette with bright, white shoes. So, my husband got up and chased him, but by the time he got all together, he was way down the road,” the woman said.
Feeling protective of his daughter, the husband sat in a lawn chair outside with a bat and some beverages to see if he returned.
His wife says he did return.
“Who comes back two nights in a row after being busted? But he did,” she said. “He came sneaking around the house, came right up to my daughter’s window.”
She says some of the interaction was caught on a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera.
“And he cupped his hands around his eyes and was looking in. So, my husband came up and was like, ‘Surprise, [expletive],’ and then whacked him with the bat. Then, he ran,” she continued.
Surveillance video showed the man chasing the alleged peeper and yelling at neighbors to call police.
“Where are you going, boy?!” the dad yells on the video. “Come here! Come here! I got somethin’ for you!”
Police identified the suspect as Damon Smith and were able to arrest him. He was held on $86,000 bond on charges of loitering, voyeurism, and aggravated stalking of a person under 16. WESH reported that Smith was arrested when he was 18 years old for making a bomb threat at a school.
Sheriff Rick Staly commended the father for protecting his family. He believes Smith matches the classic description of a sex offender escalating his activities.
Video from the scene and the surveillance camera can be watched on the news report from WESH on YouTube.
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