Name: Looting 'Will Get Progressively Worse' Amid Hurricane Ian Chaos, Sheriff Warns
Uploaded: 2025-01-04T20:39:36.000Z
Description: As parts of Florida face a long road to recovery following extraordinary damage caused by Hurricane Ian, some people have already been taking advantage of the situation and started looting amid the chaos.

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

NTD Plus

News

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

JFK International Airport to Begin Ebola Screening

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Andrew Thomas is a reporter for NTD News primarily covering business, the economy, and technology. 

Andrew Thomas

World News

Asia &amp; Pacific

Rescuers Pull First Trapped Person From Flooded Laos Cave

US, India Expect to Close Trade Deal 'In Next Weeks, Months'

Families Settle Lawsuit in Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Rubio Meets With Pakistani Foreign Minister Amid Iran Talks

Trump Refiles $10 Billion Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal

US Says Embassy in Kyiv Remains Open

Australia Sues 3M Over 'Forever Chemicals'

US, Mexico Launch USMCA Talks

Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in crime, policing and the law. 

Chris Summers

Europe

EU Fines Temu $232 Million for Failing to Prevent Sale of Dangerous, Illegal Products

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 29)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 28)

Kevin Hogan is an NTD News data reporter and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Kevin covers breaking news, as well as U.S. and global current events. He conveys the news through data visualizations and investigates pressing issues.

Kevin Hogan

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 27)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 26)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 25)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 22)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 21)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 20)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 19)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 18)

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

40,000 Ordered to Evacuate as Chemical Tank Leaks, Threatens Explosion in California

Video of US Fighter Jet Shooting Down UFO Over Lake Huron Emerges in New Pentagon Files

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Health News

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

Haika Mrema

Medical Plane Crash in New Mexico Mountains Kills 4, Sparks Wildfire

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

California Mayor Resigns, Will Plead Guilty to Acting as Chinese Agent

As parts of Florida face a long road to recovery following extraordinary damage caused by Hurricane Ian, some people have already been taking advantage of the situation and started looting amid the chaos.

William Snyder, the sheriff of Martin County, <a href="https://www.tcpalm.com/story/weather/hurricanes/2022/10/04/special-trained-martin-sheriffs-deputies-floridas-southwest-coast-hurrican-ian-looting/8168775001/">told TCPalm</a> that he doesn't expect looters to calm down, fearing the worst. He said looters already went on a spree of stealing and ransacking structures "very early" after the Category 4 storm made landfall in western Florida last week.

"It was very early and some of the looting was starting already, but it will get progressively worse, I think, as people become more desperate," Snyder, who was dispatched as part of a 15-person rapid response team on Sept. 30 to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Charlotte County, told the publication.

Shortly after the team's arrival in Charlotte, officials encountered "dazed" residents, as well as several "pretty sketchy people" looking for water, food, and fuel, but nobody was arrested at the time.

However, sometime later, Snyder received reports of people stealing gas-powered generators that were supposed to be powering traffic control devices.

"When they bolted those down, they chained them down, they started stealing the gas out of the generators," the sheriff told TCPalm.

A day after the team's arrival, they received a report about a house that was burning after the homeowner put a generator in the garage because he was so fearful that looters would steal their backup generator. The house was a total loss, Snyder said.

"The challenge that stuck out to me the most was just how fragile society is when electricity and water go," the sheriff added. "No gas, no electric, no water, and everything starts to come to a stop."
<h2>'We Have Law and Order'</h2>
In nearby Lee County, Sheriff Carmine Marceno issued a stark warning to would-be-looters after a group of four people—<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/illegal-immigrants-arrested-for-looting-after-hurricane-ian-as-florida-sheriff-issues-new-warning_4774665.html">including three illegal immigrants</a>—were arrested on Sept. 29 for taking advantage of the situation.

"As far as looting—we have law and order in Lee County. We have law and order in our great state of Florida, and we always will," said Marceno. "Right now, we have four cases of looting, and I’m proud to say they’re behind bars where they belong. Our residents are going to be safe."

Marceno added that three of the arrested individuals—Robert Mena, Brandon Araya, and Stephen Araya—were illegally inside the United States while they were caught looting in Lee County.

Lee County jail records show that Brandon Mauricio Araya, 20; Stephen Eduardo Sanchez Araya, 20; Valerie Celeste Salcedo Mena, 26; and Omar Mejia Ortiz, 33, were <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/10/04/four-florida-alleged-looters-arrested-in-lee-county-following-hurricane-ian/">arrested</a> for burglary of an unoccupied structure during a state of emergency. Ortiz also faces petit larceny charges.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, among other officials, have issued similar messages to would-be looters after reports emerged that people allegedly started traveling to stricken islands and ransacking properties.

“I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home, and I would not wanna chance that if I were you, given that we’re a Second Amendment state,” DeSantis <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1576195321297866752">said</a>, who noted that some Floridians have firearms.

Some residents also “boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, ‘you loot, we shoot,’” DeSantis added. “At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation.”

Videos

Florida

04_Top Stories

looters

Latest Clips

Hurricane Ian

Lorenz Duchamps is a news writer for NTD, focusing primarily on the U.S., world, and entertainment news.

Lorenz Duchamps

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.