A bizarre burglary attempt turned violent on Sunday, November 10, 2024, when a man clad only in boxer shorts tried to break into a home and assaulted two deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The official press release notes that 64-year-old Eugene Albert Hendry showed up at the front door of a Mulberry residence, attempting to force his way inside while three people were on the back porch. When the homeowners noticed his aggressive behavior and yelled for him to stop, Hendry escalated, hurling a large object through a window in a desperate attempt to enter the home.
One of the residents fired a shot at Hendry as he tried to climb through the shattered window, but missed.
Polk County deputies arrived at the scene to secure the suspect, but Hendry viciously punched one deputy in the face and attempted to wrestle the officer’s firearm from its holster.
After a tense struggle, deputies managed to subdue Hendry and place him in the back of a patrol car.
Eugene Albert Hendry faces a total of 11 charges after his arrest in Polk County, including unarmed burglary of an occupied dwelling, resisting an officer both with and without violence, grand theft of a firearm, and battery on a law enforcement officer. Additional charges include three counts of simple assault, possession of burglary tools with intent to use, and throwing a deadly missile at a building. Hendry’s total bond is set at $70,750.