Brunswick Real Estate Agent Tied Up; Uses Tongue To Call For Help

Glynn County police are investigating the Thursday morning attack of a 45-year-old real estate agent Thursday morning.

Police said Bene Lance met a man just before noon at a house for sale in western Glynn County after he called asking to see it. She said that after looking around the house for about an hour, the suspect grabbed her, threw her against the wall, then tied her wrists and ankles and moved her to the bathroom.

"He said to me, 'This is a robbery. I'm not here to buy this house,'" Lance told Channel 4's Jim Piggott.

The suspect then took Lance's car keys, purse, and wedding ring before leaving.

After waiting and hearing no noise coming from the house, Lance said she used her tongue to dial the phone and call for help.

"I could not think how to use the telephone and then it dawned on me. There was only one thing I had that I could use, my tongue," Lance said. "I don't know why I did it. I can't tell you. That was the first thing I thought of."

After calling her office, Lance said she scooted herself on the porch of the house and screamed for help.

The suspect is described as a large, white man with brown hair and a mustache and goatee. He is reported between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighing more than 300 pounds.

Police say the man could be driving one of two suspect vehicles:

• A green, compact car -- possibly a Ford Escort -- with a Florida license plate.
• A full-size Chevrolet extended-cab pickup truck, gold or pewter in color, with gray primer spots.

Police say this was not an isolated incident -- a man matching the description is a suspect in similar attacks around north Florida and south Georgia. They are notifying surrounding law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the suspect.

Anyone with information on this case or seeing a suspect matching the description is asked to call the Glynn County Police Department at 912-554-7800 or Silent Witness at 912- 264-1333.