Two people were charged with looting a home damaged by Hurricane Idalia in Florida’s Big Bend region, as residents’ concerns grew that burglars could be tempted to hit other hurricane-ravaged homes since law enforcement is stretched thin in the remote, wooded area along the Gulf Coast.
Some residents of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, one of the communities hardest hit after Idalia made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane, urged law enforcement to set up checkpoints where people would have to show identification in order to get into the town.
Marina worker Kerry Ford had high praise for local law enforcement’s response to the hurricane but wished more would be done to keep out people who don’t belong in Horseshoe Beach.
The authorities “did really good,” Ford said. “Now, the only thing I’ve seen where they’ve dropped the ball is you can come right into Horseshoe without showing you’re a resident or anything like that. That’s a problem, especially with no power. You’ve got to have somebody here keeping out everybody other than the residents.”
A man and a woman from Palmetto, Florida, almost 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of where Idalia made landfall, were arrested Wednesday after an officer from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission heard noises coming from outside a home in Horseshoe Beach.
The officer found the man and woman loading up items from the waterfront home into a rented pickup truck. One of the suspects told deputies that the homeowner had given him permission to remove items from the house on stilts.
But the homeowners told deputies when contacted that they had done no such thing, according to a statement from the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office.
Each suspect was charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling during an emergency, grand theft and trespassing, with bails set for each at $1 million.
“We are taking strong action against this criminal activity,” the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
Authorities have implemented an 11 p.m. curfew for Horseshoe Beach.
On Saturday, there were more than 61,000 Florida residents and 8,700 Georgia residents without power due to Idalia. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden headed to Florida Saturday for a tour of the hurricane-damaged area.
Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning near Keaton Beach with winds of 125 mph (200 kph) and a 6-foot (1.8-meter) storm surge.
The fast-moving storm then tore through largely rural stretches of inland Florida and southern Georgia before exiting for the ocean in the Carolinas.
The storm wreaked havoc on a slice of old Florida that has escaped massive coastal development.
Tammy Bryan, who works at the First Freewill Baptist Church in Horseshoe Beach, said anyone caught looting could help in another way.
“Help load up some trash and take the rest with you, if that’s the way it has to be,” Bryan said.
ANYONE LOOTING A CAUGHT SHOULD BE HANGED ON THE SPOT. THEY ARE THE LOWEST FOR OF SCUM AND DON DESERVE TO LIVE.
These types of criminals are no different than grave robbers. They have no moral character, and are totally narcissistic. That combination of personality faults is best known as psychopathy. They are not sorry for what they did, but will feign shame to manipulate the weaklings in our system if possible. They should be put to death because they’ll still be stealing tax payer benefits while in prison. They might even bring suit against someone for violation of their rights somewhere along the way. All they need do is find an attorney with the same amoral attitude. Amoral attorneys are experts at theft, and many of them hold high offices in our government.
Set the example and the standard, verify then SHOOT on sight. They have sealed their fate. Spend NO TAX DOLLARS on prosecution!! Spend money od the rounds needed to terminate the sleezy perps!!
We as a Country need to get back to “FOLLOWING THE LAWS” It is getting so bad that it seems “NOBODY” follows the laws, stealing, attacking others just because they are there. Running through lights because you think you are “SPECIAL” This last five years or so it seems to get worse everyday.