Four alleged looters have been arrested in Florida following the devastation of Hurricane Ian in the Sunshine State.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Department said deputies arrested Omar Mejia Ortiz, 33, Valerie Celeste Salcedo Mena, 26, Brandon Mauricio Araya, 20, and Steve Eduardo Sanchez Araya, 20, Thursday on charges of burglary of an unoccupied structure during a state of emergency, according to a report.
Mena, in addition to Brandon Araya and Steve Araya, also face charges of grand larceny. Ortiz was also charged with petit larceny.
Gov. Ron DeSantis had previously warned that looting would not be tolerated.
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“Don’t even think about looting,” DeSantis said in a press conference last week. “Don’t even think about taking advantage of people in this vulnerable situation.”
“When I say zero tolerance, zero tolerance means we will hunt you down, track you down, and you’re going to jail. If you’re lucky,” DeSantis added.
On Friday, a video emerged online of five people seen sitting with handcuffs after being arrested on charges of looting. It is unclear whether the video is related to the arrests of Ortiz, Mena, Brandon Araya, and Steve Araya.
Sheriff’s deputies told me Thursday afternoon these people were arrested for looting on Fort Myers Beach. pic.twitter.com/j8JKRremlP
— Gage Goulding – NBC2 (@GageGoulding) September 30, 2022
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The four people arrested were released from jail Saturday after posting $35,000 bond.
