Florida man rode horse during attempted house burglary, deputies say

Florida deputies had a perplexing case on their hands Thursday when a Pasco County man allegedly rode a horse to a house in New Port Richey and tried to break into the dwelling, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Lonnie Curtis Maddox, 52, of Spring Hill, was arrested and charged with burglary of a dwelling, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

The brown horse's name was not Trigger -- it was Angel, and camera footage showed Maddox and the animal wandering on the property of Steve Ferguson, WTVT reported.

"I really didn't think the guy was going to break into the house," Ferguson told the television station. "What? He had a getaway horse? So it was a little odd."

According to an arrest report, Maddox opened the screened-in front porch of the home by sticking his hand through a screen to unlock the door. Maddox, with the horse in tow, then walked through the porch toward the front door, WFLA reported.

According to deputies, Maddox then tried to break into a padlocked front door. Then he allegedly broke through a window in the back of the house, causing $100 in damage when he broke the brackets, WTSP reported.

Meanwhile, Angel wandered away, the Times reported.

Ferguson, who had been fixing up the house to rent it, saw Maddox on his security camera and called deputies, the newspaper reported.

When deputies arrived, Maddox approached them and asked if they had seen a horse, the Times reported. According to deputies, Maddox said he wanted to go inside the home because he thought it was abandoned, WTSP reported. The arrest report also said Maddox told deputies he wanted to rent the house, the Times reported.

The horse was found about two miles away from Ferguson's home and was taken to animal control, WTVT reported.

"It's pretty insane," Ferguson told WFLA. "When I saw the horse I thought 'Oh, this guy is just walking around and having a look,'" Ferguson said. "But shortly after, it was pretty clear he had broken into the house."

Ferguson was amused by Thursday's episode, but he said it is not the first time someone has tried to break into the home. He said trespassers -- man or beast -- are not welcome.

"Take it to Old Town Road," Ferguson told WFLA.