Eight Migrants Arrested After Allegedly Looting Flood-Ravaged Tennessee
Eight migrants have been arrested in Tennessee after allegedly looting homes and property in the wake of a devastating hurricane.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced the eight arrests Sunday, listing the men’s charges and where deputies found them.
The suspects were taken into custody Saturday.
“According to Sheriff Keith Sexton,” a post on the WCSO Facebook page, “Deputies arrested eight men for looting on Saturday, Sept. 28. All are now in custody at the Washington County Detention Center, each held on $20,000 bonds. They will appear in court Monday, Sept. 30.”
Three of the men, Jesus Leodan Garcia-Peneda, 51; Josue Berardo Ortis-Valdez, 30; and Ersy Leonel Ortis-Valdez, 33, are being charged with burglary.
The other five, Albin Nahun Vega-Rapalo, 24; David Bairon Rapalo-Rapalo, 37; Kevin Noe Martinez-Lopez, 25; Marvin Hernandez-Martinez, 43; Dayln Gabriel Guillen Guillen, 37, were charged with breaking into occupied structures.
According to the New York Post, a representative from the sheriff’s department confirmed all eight men are migrant workers currently in the United States legally.
The sheriff’s office said the eight suspects were arrested near the town of Jonesborough, according to WHJL.
Tennessee and its neighboring coastal states are currently reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which swept through and left a still-growing number of dead Americans in its wake.
The arrests underline the precarious state of communities in the disaster area, many of which are virtually cut off from civilization. For inland towns and cities razed by hurricane-force winds, devastating floods that followed threw a big wrench in rescue efforts.
According to PBS, supplies are being airlifted into the city of Asheville, North Carolina because of roads that are impassable or washed away.
Asheville is not alone in its isolation.
Total disruptions to cell service and the regional power grid are causing even more problem for rescuers across the region. Some towns are completely cut off from the outside world.
Civilians in need of help are finding it difficult to contact the outside world, while officials are struggling to contact next-of-kin for the dozens of bodies being discovered in the rubble and floodwaters.
Search and rescue teams are still combing for survivors and others in need of rescue.
Concerns about violence are permeating the post-storm atmosphere.
Locations that still have gasoline, food and water are being reinforced by authorities to quell arguments and prevent violence over the severely limited resources.
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