Lake County >> Dispatchers for the last several days have received an almost constant flow of calls reporting trespassers and suspicious activity. Like water, looters seem to always find a way through or around a barrier.
“It’s unfortunate and I find it disgusting that people are doing this. That they would prey upon you and your home,” Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said, addressing the issue before the Board of Supervisors.
At least two have already been booked into the Lake County jail as of Tuesday.
Steven Worley was arrested Monday afternoon by an Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) deputy and charged with three misdemeanors including petty theft during a state of emergency and removing artifacts of archeological interest.
Just a few hours later at 10:30 p.m., Richard Rego was arrested by a California Highway Patrol officer and charged with a misdemeanor offense of entering a closed disaster area, according to online booking logs.
And the current arrests pale in comparison to the number reports made regarding people in unauthorized areas. Calls include broken windows, doors forced open and suspicious vehicles roaming neighborhoods in the fire zone.
The LCSO has had deputies out on patrol around the clock and still looters continue to find ways into Hidden Valley Lake, Middletown and Cobb Mountain. Extra patrol units called in from Mendocino County have also been overwhelmed by the number of scavengers trying to find anything of value left to take.
Looting is a problem with any disaster, according to law enforcement officers contacted for this report, not just the Valley fire or in Lake County.
One pointed out that burglars don’t come in through the front door, and looters don’t come in through general entry points.
Instead of paved streets, looters enter closed areas through trails or any other alternative to official entry points blocked by police barriers. According to scanner reports on Tuesday, some were spotted on ATVs.
Identifying a looter isn’t always difficult. They have no police escort, no valid documentation they live in the area and many times only provide the thinly veiled excuse that they are looking for a pet. If a person has pockets full of items he or she can’t explain from where they came or why they have them, chances are they are involved in criminal activity, according to officers.
Martin promised the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that he and his office will continue to aggressively pursue looters and with full cooperation from the Lake County District Attorney’s Office will “prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
