Cops say he snuck into a Florida penthouse. Then he tussled with Taylor Swift’s dad
A man who police say snuck into a condo building, walked up 13 flights of stairs and broke into a Florida penthouse has been arrested, weeks after he was fought off by the owner, reportedly singer Taylor Swift’s dad.
Terrence Hoover, 30, was arrested at his home in St. Augustine last week for a warrant issued in late January, and is facing a burglary charge over the Jan. 17 incident.
Hoover snuck past the Vinoy Place condominium’s gated and guarded entrance, entered an unsecured emergency stairwell and walked up 13 flights of stairs to reach the top floor of the St. Petersburg building, according to court documents obtained by the Miami Herald.
The stairwell automatically locks unless someone doesn’t fully close the door, the condominium’s manager Jill Silverman told Pinellas County deputies, according to the documents. It’s the only way to access the residence, besides using an elevator that requires key card access, Silverman said.
The entire floor is owned by Ocean Pines, a limited-liability corporation, according to court records. The Hendersonville, Tenn.-based corporation has been used by the superstar’s father, Scott Swift, to purchase other properties in the Tampa Bay area, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The Vinoy Place waterfront condominium, near the historic Vinoy hotel, is in downtown St. Petersburg and is made up of four towers with 92 “luxury units” and 10 townhomes, according to Malowany Group Tampa Bay Luxury Real Estate. An average unit can cost from $1 million to $3.5 million or more.
Deputies say they have surveillance video that shows Hoover walking into the penthouse shortly before 10 p.m. Seconds later, Swift’s father walks out of the elevator and sees Hoover run out of his home.
Swift’s father told deputies he yelled at Hoover and that a “struggle” followed between the two before Hoover ran away, the arrest affidavit states.
Deputies say Hoover later called 911 to “report his encounter with a man living in the Vinoy,” court documents state.
It’s still unclear if Hoover, who the Tampa Bay Times says has an extensive arrest history that includes domestic violence by strangulation, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping, was targeting the penthouse or accidentally stumbled upon it.
Swift later picked Hoover from a stack of pictures. The 30-year-old was arrested on Feb. 12, weeks after police say he broke into the penthouse. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.
