Man avoiding angry wife breaks into random home for dinner and bath, FL cops say

Miami Herald

17-06-2025

A man desperate to avoid his angry wife made matters worse when he sneaked into a random home for dinner and a bath, according to investigators in Florida.
The intrusion happened June 9 in Davenport and resulted in the man being charged with burglary, according to a June 15 Polk County Sheriff's Office news release.
Investigators likened it to the 'Polk County version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.'
'The homeowner wasn't going to be around for a while, so he asked his neighbor to bear the responsibility of watching over the house. That neighbor did a fantastic job too,' the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook.
'One night, the neighbor saw lights going on and off within the house, so he called the homeowner, who in turn contacted the PCSO. ... Deputies went to the residence and found (a man) inside, cooking, and he had just finished filling the tub for a bath. We assume the bath temperature was not too hot, nor too cold, but juuuuust right.'
When questioned, the 44-year-old man conceded 'not only did he not have permission to be there, he also had no idea who owned the house,' the sheriff's office said.
'(He) told deputies that he had gotten in a fight with his wife, and he didn't want to go home, so he chose to (enter) someone else's home instead,' the sheriff's office said.
The man, who had no criminal history, reported he had been staying at the home four days, officials said.
He was charged with felony unarmed burglary, misdemeanor petit theft, first offense, and domestic battery, jail records show.
Details of what led the man to that particular home were not released.
Davenport is about a 45-mile drive southwest from downtown Orlando.