Florida man blames horse for home break-in

FLORIDA -- A 52-year-old Florida man has been arrested after reportedly using a horse to break into a home.

The incident happened last week at a Pasco County home and was all caught on video.

Homeowner Steve Ferguson told Bay News 9 that he started getting alerts on his phone that showed surveillance video of a man on his property.

After calling the sheriff's office, he decided to head over himself.

Upon arrival, he saw a horse running away and then ran into Lonnie Maddox.

"I said, 'What were you doing in my house?'" Ferguson explain. "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?'"

Video showed Maddox walking around the property, entering the screened-in porch with the horse and trying to enter the front door, which was padlocked.

When that attempt was unsuccessful, he broke a back window to get in.

According to an arrest report, Maddox told deputies that the horse went into the yard through a broken fence so he followed it.

He also told officials he was interested in renting the property and wanted to see what it looked like.

Ferguson did confirm that he was remodeling the home and planned to rent it.

Maddox was charged with burglary of dwelling.

He didn't take anything but is accused of doing $100 worth of damage.

Deputies said the horse didn't belong to Maddox and was returned to its rightful owners.