A 62-year-old Holmes Beach man is facing a burglary charge for allegedly stealing underwear from a neighboring home.
Law enforcement officers, executing a warrant Jan. 10, searched Ernest A. Kendler’s residence and found two pairs of women’s panties identified as belonging to a 23-year-old neighbor who reported them stolen in November. A lab will analyze the evidence for DNA.
Kendler was arrested nearly two months after the investigation into the allegation against him began. He faces one count of burglary. He was released from the Manatee County jail on a $10,000 bond.
According to the warrant filed at the Manatee County Judicial Center, a woman told authorities that she was missing two dozen pairs of panties and that her 21-year-old sister was missing 16 pairs of underwear.
The woman told authorities on Nov. 6, 2010, she saw a man going through a dresser drawer in her sister’s bedroom, according to the warrant. The intruder did not face the woman, even as he left, but she said she believes the man to be Kendler.
In a civil complaint filed at the judicial center in November, the woman sought an injunction against Kendler alleging he “has broken into my home and I witnessed him digging through my sister’s panty drawer. We have had hundreds of pairs disappear over the past two years and I finally caught him in the act. He has stolen my sense of privacy along with personal belongings.”
The complaint also stated, “I fear for my safety and the safety of my family.”
A month after the filing, the civil case was closed. The woman terminated her request for an injunction, saying that she had taken precautions to protect herself.
But a criminal case remained open with the Holmes Beach Police Department and state attorney’s office.
An HBPD officer had responded to a 911 call on Nov. 6 and interviewed the woman who alleged seeing Kendler in her sister’s bedroom.
In the HBPD report, the woman said she saw Kendler at the dresser and he seemed to be breathing heavily. She stared, scared and confused for 30 seconds, and then said, “Hello.”
The man left the room and the woman ran to a neighbor’s to call her mother, who called 911.
The intruder was described as wearing black shorts, white tennis shoes and a gray or white shirt.
The HBPD officer sought out Kendler, who was wearing a tan shirt, tan shorts and no shoes. The report described the suspect as “very nervous” and “visibly shaken” when the officer entered his home.
HBPD forwarded the case to the state attorney’s office to request the warrant, which led to the search and arrest Jan. 10.