A Lee County woman and two male accomplices were arrested on multiple charges following a home invasion robbery in Port Charlotte coordinated through an escort service website.
On August 2nd, 2024, a Port Charlotte man made contact with a woman later identified as Amber Nicole Brown (6/4/1997) online. He made arrangements for escort services and paid for her to come to his home, promising her money. 15 minutes after Brown arrived, two male subjects knocked on his front door. The males, later identified as Christopher Clark (1/26/1993) and Pete Bertolotti (6/25/1994), claimed to have lost their dog but then forced their way into the home, wielding a hammer and a crowbar, and pushed the homeowner to the ground.
Once in control of the victim, the males moved the homeowner to a bedroom where they bound his hands and feet with duct tape. The males then demanded him to tell them where the money promised to Brown was located. They also forced him to unlock his phone and transferred the agreed-upon payment to Brown. Leaving him tied up, they shut the door to the bedroom and rummaged through his home before leaving. The victim chewed through the duct tape around his hands and was able to hop to the kitchen where he could cut his feet free with scissors. Once free, the victim noticed that several sets of keys to his vehicles were missing as well as a vehicle from his driveway. Among other items, his cellphone was stolen as well so he ran to his neighbor’s home to call 911.
Soon after, a Lee County K9 deputy on patrol observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed down McGregor Blvd. The vehicle was identified as belonging to the victim of the home invasion. Ignoring the deputy’s attempts to stop the vehicle, the driver began cutting through parking lots and eventually hit a curb causing a tire to go flat. The occupants then fled on foot. The Lee County K9 deputy and his K9 partner tracked the suspects – discovered to be Brown, Clark, and Bertolotti – to an apartment complex where they were then arrested.
“I want to thank the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in bringing this trio to justice. I would also like to take this opportunity to remind people of the dangers of websites like this. Unfortunately, we live in a world of online scams and criminals looking for the next opportunity. Inviting strangers on the internet to your home can lead to dangerous situations like this.”
– Sheriff Bill Prummell
Clark and Bertolotti are currently being held in the Lee County Jail on unrelated charges, but they will also face charges stemming from this incident in Charlotte County. Brown is being held in the Charlotte County Jail on $100,000.00 bond for the following charges:
- Home Invasion Robbery with a Weapon
- Battery on a Person 65 or Older
- False Imprisonment of a Person Against Their Will
