Cape Coral man accused of stripping naked in HomeGoods store, saying he ‘had to do it’
By Carson Zorn, Edward Franco
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CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WBBH) — A Cape Coral man was arrested on Monday after police said he stripped naked inside a HomeGoods store and exposed himself to a shopper.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, officers responded to the HomeGoods on Del Prado Boulevard South at around 10:45 a.m. after reports of a fully nude man inside the store.
When officers arrived, they were directed to a nearby Aldi store after being told that the suspect had walked in that direction and may have entered the store. Officers located the suspect standing near the entrance to the store and identified him as Billy Thomas, 43, CCPD said.
Officers detained Thomas, and while walking him back toward a patrol car, they noticed a pair of white shoes and a pair of underwear near the entrance of the HomeGoods, CCPD said. Thomas then told officers that the items belonged to him and said that his clothes had started smoking and that the bicycle he was riding was smoking as well.
Officers never located a bicycle, CCPD said.
A woman who was inside the HomeGoods at the time of the incident told officers that she saw Thomas enter the store, walk into the aisle where she was standing, and say, “I’m sorry, I have to do this,” CCPD said. The woman said Thomas then dropped his pants, exposing himself. A store employee also confirmed that Thomas had been naked in the store.
Thomas was arrested and faces a charge of indecent exposure.
“I don’t really expect to go HomeGoods and see some naked man in the middle of the aisle,” said Alexandra Campos, a shopper at the store.
Shoppers at the Cape Coral HomeGoods store were startled to hear about the incident.
“It is concerning. Definitely something I wouldn’t like to expose my children to,” said Maria Ycaza, another shopper.
“It’s very worrisome. You know, children out and about,” Ycaza added.
Campos shared her thoughts, saying, “People just don’t need to see that, and even I don’t want to see that, coming to HomeGoods. I’m coming home to shop and have a peaceful experience.”
For customers inside HomeGoods, the incident was anything but business as usual.
“Keep a lookout, keep an eye out, be self-aware. Everything that’s happening around you,” Campos advised.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office Records show that Thomas has been arrested at least 28 times in Lee County since 2002.
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