‘Simply despicable’: Homeowners who evacuated during Hurricane Milton return to stolen belongings
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Some Charlotte County homeowners who evacuated for Hurricane Milton returned to find that some of their belongings had been stolen, authorities said.
One woman in Englewood left on Oct. 8 and returned Oct. 14 to a window that was smashed by a fire extinguisher. The front door was also unlocked, deputies said. Missing from the home was a generator, laptop, backpack and jewelry. There was a broken safe and an opened can of soup left on the counter.
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Nelson J. Saylor, 57, was identified as a suspect and later taken into custody, deputies said. He was also a person of interest in a separate burglary. Nelson reportedly told deputies that his boat was sinking so he swam to shore and stayed with a friend.
Saylor was charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling unarmed during a state of emergency; two counts of grand theft between $10K and $20K during a state of emergency; possession of use of drug paraphernalia; and two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
A second person, Robert Lamothe, 41, was arrested in connection with a separate burglary from a storage facility, according to deputies.
Lamothe allegedly stole more than $2,000 worth of items from the facility, including AirPods and an Apple Watch. The AirPods were reportedly posted for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
The victim noticed the AirPods for sale, arranged to "purchase" them and told a Charlotte County deputy to be there when Lamothe arrived. The serial number was used to confirm the AirPods belonged to the victim.
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Lamothe was charged with grand theft property more than $750 but less than $5,000 and burglary of an unoccupied structure unarmed during a state of emergency.
"It makes me sick to think that people who heeded the warnings and evacuated for their safety, returned to this unnecessary stress," Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. "To take advantage of someone during a state of emergency is simply despicable, and I hope these tow take time to think about that behind bars."
