Cocoa burglar who showered with hose apprehended

Update, 4/17, 1:15 p.m.:

Police have taken into custody a suspect in the burglary that took place on the 1900 block of Otterbein Avenue in Cocoa on Thursday.

Richard William Verity, 47, was apprehended at 1 p.m. on Friday.

He is charged with burglary to an occupied structure, resisting law enforcement officials without violence, burglary and theft.

Original Story:

Authorities continue to search for a suspected home burglar who stripped and showered with a garden hose in Cocoa.

The incident started around 12:30 p.m. Thursday when Cocoa police say the man broke into a woman's screened-in porch in the Quail Ridge subdivision in Cocoa, stealing a few of her belongings, according to FLORIDA TODAY news partner Local 6 News.

As she confronted him, he apparently took off and headed toward Jason and Tommi Baker's house, just a few doors down.

"I'm sitting in my garage working on stuff for my boat and this guy comes riding his bike in and crashes right inside my garage," said Jason Baker.

"You would've thought he lived here," said Tommi Baker. "He was just digging through stuff over there, taking my cigarettes. So, I grabbed my purse and had it in my arm."

Along with the suspect stealing some of their belongings, the Bakers also caught him spitting on their floors before stripping down and taking a shower with their garden hose.

"He just walked on back and opened the door and turned on the spigot and was showering down," said Tommi. "And I'm looking at my husband like, 'What is this guy doing?'"

Police said as they arrived on the street, the suspect ran and stole clothes off of a clothesline.

They then chased him as he headed into a wooded area behind the Cocoa Commons shopping plaza on State Road 524.

Authorities established a perimeter and a K-9 was brought in, but due to heavy brush, they were unable to find the suspect.

A Cocoa police officer suffered a minor hand injury during the search.

Police say they know who the suspect is, and they'll pick up their search efforts Friday.