Background: The area in Pinellas Park, Florida, where the alleged home invasion occurred (WTSP/YouTube). Inset: Steven Houpt (Florida Department of Corrections).
A neighborhood handyman is accused of breaking into a couple”s home, tying the woman up, and lying in wait for the man to return.
Steven Houpt, 57, stands accused of home invasion robbery with a weapon, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and false imprisonment, according to Pinellas County court records. The incident unfolded on Tuesday afternoon.
Houpt arrived at a residence in the 7900 block of 72nd Way North in Pinellas Park, Florida, where McKenzie Bray was home alone, police said, per Tampa CBS affiliate WTSP. Bray – believing he was the mailman – opened the door for him, and then the situation is said to have turned violent.
Houpt reportedly forced his way in, hit Bray in the head, and tied her up. Then, he allegedly waited for Bray’s fiance, James Allen, to come home. When Allen arrived at the home, Houpt attacked him with a screwdriver and a knife and stabbed him several times, police alleged.
But the engaged couple – whose ages were not given – managed to fight back, with Allen grabbing the suspect’s knife and defending himself, he later told police.
“He had her tied up, taped up on the bed,” Allen recounted to local NBC affiliate WFLA. “Then he wanted to knock me out when I got home and tie us up and take our money.”
“He stabbed me in the eye with a screwdriver and then in the hand with a knife,” Allen added. “I took his knife from him and started stabbing him.”
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When officers arrived, they said they found Bray and Allen – and also Houpt, who was lying on the living room floor with stab wounds. The couple was treated for non-life-threatening wounds, and Houpt was hospitalized and later arrested after being listed as stable.
Houpt was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday morning. He is set to appear in court for the first time on Thursday afternoon.
According to Bray, they knew Houpt before the violent home invasion – and ostensibly trusted him enough to seek his expertise.
“He did a little bit of work for us, fixing up damage done by hurricanes and just trying to get the house in better shape,” she told WFLA.
Neighbors believe the suspect had a plan. The power was out in the neighborhood for several hours that afternoon, rendering cameras useless and leaving homeowners vulnerable.
Houpt has multiple prior criminal offenses, according to Florida Department of Corrections records, including being sentenced in 2017 to three years in prison for burglary.
