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Florida dad chases after man with bat for allegedly snooping near daughter's window: 'Where you going, boy?'

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Published  September 17, 2024 11:41pm EDT
Flagler County
FOX 35 Orlando

Father confronts alleged 'Peeping Tom' with bat

A Florida father took matters into his own hands when he confronted an alleged peeping tom peering into his daughter’s bedroom window.

PALM COAST, Fla. - A Flagler County father took matters into his own hands when he confronted an alleged peeping tom peering into his daughter’s bedroom window.

On September 13, armed with a Louisville Slugger, the man camped out in his backyard waiting for the suspect, who he said had been terrorizing their neighborhood for about a year.

"He was up at my daughter’s window [looking in]," the man told FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie. "I said a couple choice words, and when he turned toward me, I swung the bat. It didn’t seem to phase him, he was a pretty big dude, so I was going to go for his head, and when I did, he started to run."

Security footage, shared exclusively with FOX 35, shows the daring dad chasing the suspect down Pine Hill Lane on Friday. He can be heard yelling out to neighbors for help.

"Call the cops… call the cops! Somebody call the cops," he could be heard screaming.

As the pair run out of frame, you can still hear the fired-up father yelling at the suspect.

"Where [are] you going, boy? Come here… come here… I got something for you," he can be heard shouting.

We are told the suspect has been caught creeping around multiple neighbors’ homes. Just one day before this incident, he was seen outside the same house.

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"[My wife] sees a silhouette of a guy in the backyard in the pouring rain, just staring at me. I don’t know how long he was there, but I was totally oblivious to it. She screamed and scared him off," the dad said.

He said they had filed numerous police reports, so this time, he took matters into his own hands.

"I sat in the chair, I grabbed a beer and a baseball bat," he said. "I didn’t think he would show up because who has the nerve to show up at the exact same time that the cops were called to a place the next night?"

According to deputies, the man who showed up was Damon Smith. The 29-year-old lives just one block away.

Video shows arrest of man accused of snooping near girl's window

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office has released body camera video in the arrest of a suspected voyeur. Arthur Smith, 29, is accused of peering through the window of a Palm Coast home and spying on a 14-year-old girl. The father of the girl said he chased Smith away with a baseball bat. After a short chase, the father lost sight of Smith who deputies later tracked down.

When questioned, deputies said Smith admitted to being chased on the property. He also admitted he gets a thrill and an adrenaline boost walking around people’s homes.

According to deputies, Smith was wearing a Michael Myers T-shirt while he was prowling. The shirt features an iconic line from the Halloween franchise: "EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO ONE GOOD SCARE."

"I don’t know what his intentions are… if it was something that was going to escalate over time, and that [Michael Myers] was his role model or what, but we might have got him just in time," the dad said.

Smith is charged with aggravated stalking, voyeurism, and prowling. His bond is set at $86,000.

He was previously arrested for making a bomb threat at a Flagler County high school in 2013.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly praised the protective dad for his hands-on approach.

"It’s awesome; I kinda want to put on a cape and go find another bad guy," he said with a laugh.

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