As Hurricane Irma moved in, so did brazen looters in Broward
By Erika Pesantes
Looting, a criminologist once said, makes "powerless people suddenly feel powerful." And the arrival of Hurricane Irma appeared to prove the point over the weekend as small cadres of emboldened thieves preyed on absent property owners who sought shelter from the storm.
Across Broward County, authorities say they arrested more than 20 burglars who moved in when the weather turned bad.
The loot: sneakers, clothing, cigarettes, sausages, honey buns, Rice Krispies treats, among other stolen goods.
The victims: store owners in Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Hallandale Beach and Miramar, and homeowners in Weston and Fort Lauderdale.
Some of the suspects smiled for the cameras. News crews reporting on Irma captured footage Sunday of young men squeezing through a shattered storefront to steal shoes and clothing at Simon's Sportswear at 801 W. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. They scooped up their goods undeterred, even though a news truck stopped to take their pictures.
Fort Lauderdale police say six adults and three juveniles were arrested in connection with that looting. The six adults charged in that incident were: Kenneth Pinkney, 18; Zara Dumornay, 20; Tyrell Pratt, 23; Teonhki Robinson, 38; Michael Brown, 20, Rossano Nakia Henry Jr., 22.
They all face charges of burglary during a state of emergency.
"We put the warning out there to anybody that planned to victimize our neighbors and we're taking that very seriously," said police spokeswoman Casey Liening.
In Lauderhill, the owner of the 7-Eleven on State Road 7 and Northwest 21st Street called police at about 9 p.m. Sunday as a burglar attempted to break into the convenience store. The owner witnessed the crime remotely on live cameras, Lauderhill Lt. Michael Santiago said.
Police officers made the case because they elected to risk life and limb by leaving the safety of their station during the storm, he said.
"It was extremely windy at the time. There was really no one out on the street because of the curfew," Santiago said. "We're endangering ourselves for this type of stuff.
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"Looting and taking advantage of people because there's a natural disaster going on is wrong," he said. "It's unacceptable."
At the time, police were determining whether to respond to calls on a case-by-case basis. They decided to respond because it was in progress and the burglary could be prevented. Deron Johnson, 22, was charged in that incident, records show.
In Hallandale Beach, also Sunday, police noticed the lights of a van suspiciously went dark outside the Farm Store at 312 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. With the help of a police dog, officers found Daniel J. Martinez, 37, of Hallandale Beach, hiding inside, according to a police report.
Inside his backpack were cigarette cartons and a screwdriver, authorities said. A duffel bag near the store's door contained 22 cartons of cigarettes, cigars, T-shirts, 13 sausages, 24 Rice Krispies treats and other stolen goods, police said.
In Miramar, thieves targeted stores including Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Metro PCS and a check cashing store in the city, according to police spokeswoman Tania Rues.
"It's unfortunate that they would put their lives in jeopardy and take advantage of the situation," she said. "But we are investigating each one of these cases thoroughly and hopefully will make arrests."
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In Weston, two 17-year-old teens were caught burglarizing a home in the 2500 block of Monterey Court. The homeowner was out of town and caught the incident on security cameras, authorities said.
A deputy confronted the pair and shot Dylan Lemon, of Weston, who was hospitalized. The Broward Sheriff's Office said Jean Coello, also of Weston, was also arrested in connection with that incident. Another pair in Fort Lauderdale — Ryan Cook and Max Saintvil, both 28 — were charged in connection with a string of home burglaries during the storm.
During a news conference Monday, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel had a stern warning for any more looters who try to score freebies during a natural disaster. He said he directed his department's investigations unit to review all of the videos and other evidence to help launch prosecutions and obtain convictions.
"If you looted and we find out who you are, you will go to jail which is where you should be," the sheriff said.
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