Florida man hides from deputies in isolation pile: authorities

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida man charged with burglary has found himself in an “itchy situation” after authorities say he tried to hide from deputies by burying himself under a pile of insulating.

According to a Facebook post from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to an ongoing home burglary in North Fort Myers on Sunday.

There, deputies learned that a man had entered the house but never emerged. As deputies searched the house, they heard footsteps coming from the attic. Near the attic access, deputies said they found a five-gallon bucket and some fallen insulation debris on the floor.

After several failed attempts to order the man down, deputies used non-lethal gas to force him out.

“However, the suspect made a rash decision and refused to come down,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.

When that didn’t work, a K-9 unit was dispatched to the attic where deputies found the man, identified as 44-year-old Bruce Davis, buried in a pile of insulation. Deputies said Davis’ face was against an air duct system so he could breathe in fresh air.

A search of the house revealed a broken window, appliances in use and tools strewn everywhere. Davis was charged with burglary and resisting an officer and jailed in Lee County Jail.

Deputies said Davis had a long criminal history, including robberies and multiple drug charges.