Some Charlotte County residents returned home to find their belongings were stolen after evacuating for Hurricane Milton.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, the county told residents in zones A, B and C to evacuate. After coming home post-storm, some residents found their things had been burglarized.
On Thursday, Oct. 8, an Englewood resident left their home on Beach Road due to the evacuation warning.
When they returned on Monday, Oct. 14, the resident found their front window was broken with a fire extinguisher. and the front door was unlocked.
The release says when deputies responded, they found jewelry, tools, a generator, a laptop and a black backpack missing.
Deputies also found a safe that was broken into and a can of soup left on the counter.
CCSO says Nelson J. Saylor, 57, was stopped at a nearby Walmart on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Saylor told deputies his boat was sinking during the storm. He swam to shore and stayed with a friend who he knew and left a note for.
He was arrested in connection with the burglary on Beach Rd. and another one near Sand Dollar Lane.
CCSO says they also arrested Robert Lamothe, 41, on the same day.
The sheriff's office says after Hurricane Milton passed, Lamothe entered Hideaway self-storage at 835 Tamiami Trail where he went into a storage unit and stole over $2,000 worth of items.
According to the release, Lamothe did this while the business lost power, meaning no security cameras were working.
Airpods and an Apple watch were reported missing.
CCSO says Lamothe started selling the items on Facebook Marketplace.
The victim realized they were his AirPods for sale and attempted to purchase them, then called deputies when Lamothe arrived.
The serial number confirmed the AirPods were the victims, and Lamothe was arrested.
Robert J. Lamothe was charged with:
- Grand Theft Property More than $750 but Less Than $5000
- Burglary of an Unoccupied Structure Unarmed St of Emergency
Nelson Saylor was charged with:
- Burglary of an Unoccupied Dwelling Unarmed State of Emergency
- Grand Theft More Than $10K Less Than $20K State of Emergency (x2
- Drug Paraphernalia – Possession or Use O
- Possess of Controlled Substance Without Prescription (x2)
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