Popular Articles
Today Week Month Year


Illegal aliens ARRESTED for looting in areas devastated by Hurricane Ian
By Mary Villareal // Oct 09, 2022

Four individuals were arrested for looting after Hurricane Ian wrecked Florida homes and communities. Three of the four are illegal aliens, according to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

Omar Mejia Ortiz, 33, Valerie Celeste Salcedo Mena, 26, Brandon Mauricio Araya and Steve Eduardo Sanchez Araya, both 20, were arrested on charges of burglary of an unoccupied structure during a state of emergency.

Ortiz was charged with petit larceny, while the other three were charged with grand larceny.

The group was arrested a day before the release of a video of five individuals sitting handcuffed for looting in a devastated section of Fort Myers. However, it was unclear if any of the four suspects charged were the same ones in the viral video.

Jail records indicate that the group was released from jail on Saturday after posting a $35,000 bond.

Officials of Lee County announced a curfew on Sept. 28 following reports of looting and other criminal activities in the wake of the hurricane, with Marceno addressing the problem at a news conference.

"I know we had a report of one incident where someone tried to loot into a gas station. I don't know the details, but it's infuriating and we're not gonna allow it," Marceno said at the time.

"We are a great law and order state. We need to access the people that need to be helped; their life and safety [are] most important. But my message is very clear to those who think they're gonna loot. Go somewhere else, leave the state, don't do that in here, not in Lee County."

This was not the first time Marceno spoke to would-be looters as he previously warned that they "better think twice."

"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," he said. (Related: Looters run amok in Florida following Hurricane Ian devastation.)

On Sept. 30, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also warned potential looters targeting residents' homes. "I can tell you in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody's home. And I would not want to chance that if I were you — given that we're a Second Amendment state."

He also noted that they are a law and order state and a law and order community. "Do not think you're going to take advantage of people who've suffered misery."

Death toll climbs, power stalls

Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the death toll in Florida from Hurricane Ian has now hit 121 statewide.

Lee County has the most deaths at 59, and recovery efforts are still underway particularly in areas around Fort Myers where a seven-foot storm surge caused devastation to homes and businesses. With five deaths reported in North Carolina, the nationwide death toll from the storm is at 126.

Danger remained post-hurricane. Two line workers were shocked while attempting to restore power to a neighborhood in New Smyrna Beach on Oct. 2.

One of the victims was rushed to a local hospital with severe burns to his face, back arm and hands. His partner suffered minor injuries and declined treatment.

DeSantis has prioritized the restoration of power in Florida, dispatching thousands of line workers across the state to work on the damaged infrastructure.

By Oct. 3, roughly 600,00 homes and businesses were still without electricity. Hard-hit areas where infrastructure had been completely wiped out may face up to a month without power, as per Lee County Electric Cooperative.

A spokesperson for the company also said that road bridges had collapsed, cutting off vehicle access to the island and forcing crew members to bring equipment by barge to get the power back up and running.

Visit PowerGrid.news for more updates about energy sources this summer.

Watch the video below for updates regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

This video is from the Martin Brodel channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Florida coastal towns devastated by Hurricane Ian "in panic mode" over water, food and gas shortages... but help is on the way.

Hurricane Ian leaves 2.7 million Florida customers without power; significant casualties expected.

Hurricane Ian DEVASTATES Florida; full recovery expected to take years.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

NYPost.com

MySunCoast.com

Brighteon.com



Take Action:
Support NewsTarget by linking to this article from your website.
Permalink to this article:
Copy
Embed article link:
Copy
Reprinting this article:
Non-commercial use is permitted with credit to NewsTarget.com (including a clickable link).
Please contact us for more information.
Free Email Alerts
Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.

NewsTarget.com © 2022 All Rights Reserved. All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. NewsTarget.com is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. NewsTarget.com assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published on this site. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

This site uses cookies
News Target uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
Learn More
Close
Get 100% real, uncensored news delivered straight to your inbox
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your email privacy is completely protected.