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Man Accused using tools to break through shared wall: Neighbor
A Palm Coast family is speaking out after a quiet evening turned into a nightmare when a neighbor allegedly tried to break into their home through a shared drywall.
PALM COAST, Fla. - A Palm Coast family is speaking out after a quiet evening turned into a nightmare.
They said a neighbor allegedly tried to break into their home through a shared drywall.
‘Very much a neighbor from hell'
What they're saying:
Natasha Crockett sid her mother was asleep in her bedroom when loud screaming and banging began echoing through the wall.
"She hollers at me again," Crockett recalled. "She says, 'Tasha... it sounds like they're coming through the walls. Sounds like a skill saw, or I don't know what.'"
Crocket grabbed her phone and recorded her 58-year-old neighbor, Charles Bowden, who was allegedly working to breach the wall while shouting threats.
In the audio recording, a voice can be heard saying, "I'm going to make this very, very hard for you..." accompanied by sounds of banging, cutting, and laughter.
Flagler County deputies said Bowden used a hammer and an electric trimmer to bust a softball-sized hole through the drywall into Crockett's residence.
"It is very much a neighbor from hell," Crockett said. "He didn’t physically come through the wall. I don’t know if he tried to stick his arm through there or not, but the hole is in the wall."
Despite the traumatic experience, Crockett says she has no intention of abandoning her home. She has already hired a contractor to reinforce and secure the wall to ensure her family's safety.
"I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this property, and I’m not going to just leave because they're terrorizing me," Crockett said. "I’m not going to do it."
‘One of the most bizarre cases’
When Flagler County deputies arrived on the scene, they found Bowden barricaded inside his home, actively refusing to surrender.
"He threatened to shoot us, you know, if we came in, or he came outside," said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. "It is one of the most bizarre cases I've seen in my career."
Deputies eventually convinced Bowden to step outside and took him into custody. Law enforcement confirmed no firearms were found in his possession.
Bowden now faces charges of burglary and aggravated assault.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Natasha Crockett (victim/resident); Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly; Flagler County Sheriff's Office; victim-provided audio/video; on-scene reporting by Laryssa Leone, FOX 35 News, Palm Coast.