Police sniff out alleged panty sniffer

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL-- A Port St. Lucie man is under arrest after a woman complained that he broke into her house, slept in her bed, and sniffed her and her daughter's underwear.
 
"I asked him what was he doing in my house and he said 'I live here' and I said 'no you don't,' " the alleged victim says.
 
She agreed to speak about the incident, but did not want to be identified.

She says she thought the man stole something, but when she looked around, all of her valuables were intact. But, when she entered her bedroom and turned on the light she found underwear scattered all over the floor.

That's when she called 911.
 
"I called the owner of the house and she told me that it was her roommate…I described him to her and she said that's my roommate," the alleged victim says.

Police later discovered that the roommate of the victim's landlord matched the description of the suspect.

Officers eventually caught up with Demetrio Fermin Tiu Hernandez. They say he was "highly intoxicated" at the time.

Police say the victim identified Hernandez as the person she found inside her home.

According to the report, he told officers that he "didn't remember anything that happened and he was drunk."

Police say there was a broken window leading to the bathroom where the alleged break-in happened. 

They say the 21 year old Hernandez sustained a laceration on his right forearm from when he climbed into the window.

As news began to circulate, neighbors were mortified.

"For a man to actually break in and sniff a girl's underwear he's a pervert," says one.

Adds another, "It really frightened me when I first heard about it."

And a third neighbor has this to say, "I don't know how I would handle it if someone did that to one of my kids... just disgusting."

The alleged victim still fears for her safety and is not staying at her house. "It's sick that he would touch my stuff but the fact he would touch my daughter's that's what freaked me out the most." 

Neighbors say they are watching the area more closely.

Police have charged Hernandez with burglary to an occupied dwelling.