Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Attempting To Kidnap Sonya Deville

Philip Thomas, the man who attempted to kidnap Sonya Deville in 2020, has been sentenced to 15 years in Jail.

FOX 13 reported that Judge Barbara Twine-Thomas accepted a plea agreement in a Tampa, Florida courtroom and Thomas pleaded guilty to several charges, including attempted kidnapping, aggravated stalking, and armed burglary. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail followed by 15 years of probation.

Philip Thomas was arrested in the early hours of August 16, 2020 and was later charged with the above offences and criminal mischief. Thomas had been planning to abduct Deville for months and travelled from South Carlina to Florida to attempt the kidnapping. After parking in a nearby car park, he cut a hole in the patio screen of Deville's home and waited there for three to four hours. After Deville and her friend Mandy Rose went to bed, Thomas entered the home at 2:43 am, which triggered the house alarm. Deville went to check the door and footage showed Thomas entering the building and looking for the WWE talent while Deville and Rose fled the house and called the police.

At the time of his arrest, Thomas was carrying a mace, a knife, duct tape, plastic zip ties, and other items. He admitted to police that he was planning to take Deville hostage.

Deville took time off following the incident, being written off TV at SummerSlam 2020. She returned in January 2021 initially as an authority figure before becoming a wrestler once again. Deville is currently on TV as part of a tag team with Chelsea Green.