The man, 43-year-old Aldus Wimbledon of Tampa, claims he was preparing for the upcoming zombie take-over he says will occur this December.
He broke into the medical supply store around midnight on Tuesday. The police were alerted when he tripped the alarm in the store, but when they arrived, the burglar was nowhere to be found. Upon reviewing security tapes, one officer recognized Wimbledon from having been involved in a recent incident with the American Red Cross, in which Wimbledon attempted to steal a Red Cross emergency response vehicle.
After the incident with the Red Cross, Wimbledon was released on bond. Now, however, he is being held for further testing, since he continues claiming that he is leading the Orlando area zombie-response team when the takeover occurs in December.
When authorities caught up to Wimbledon Wednesday afternoon, they found that he was not only carrying a
Zombie Response Team badge, but also wearing a flak jacket and carrying assorted weaponry in his vehicle.
Upon obtaining a search warrant for Wimbledon's apartment, authorities discovered that Wimbledon had actually sectioned off the second bedroom into a panic room of sorts, complete with sea rations, MRE's, military grade weaponry, industrial gas masks, and other materials that seem to be an integral part of Wimbledon's zombie defense.
A local reporter has obtained information that Wimbledon also maintains an online blog, in which he is attempting to rally a "Zombie response militia" before December. In an excerpt taken from Wimbledon's blog, he claims,
"We must prepare for the zombies! I will lead this resistance but you must stand with me! Prepare yourselves. Gather supplies. You're gonna need weapons, you're gonna need food and water and medicine. You can't expect your government to take care of you on this one, they don't see it coming and they aren't prepared. You gotta get ready, because the storm is coming, and the zombies will be on you before you know it, and if you're not ready, no one can help you."
The post, dated for the day before Wimbledon was arrested for the second robbery charge, appears to be a call to action for what Wimbledon feels is an imminent zombie takeover.
After Wimbledon's psychological evaluation is completed, he will be transferred to a county holding facility until the judge can schedule his first hearing.