Charlotte County Residents Face Burglaries After Evacuating for Hurricane Milton
Many Charlotte County residents followed evacuation orders for zones A, B, and C ahead of Hurricane Milton, securing their homes and belongings before fleeing to safety. However, for some, the relief of returning home was shattered when they discovered their homes had been burglarized during their absence.
One Englewood resident evacuated her Beach Road home on October 8 and returned on October 14 to find her front window smashed with a fire extinguisher and the front door unlocked. Missing from her home were several valuable items, including jewelry, tools, a generator, a laptop, and a black backpack. Additionally, a safe had been pried open, and an opened can of soup was left on the kitchen counter.
Charlotte County deputies later arrested Nelson J. Saylor (02/17/1967), who was already a person of interest in a separate Englewood burglary. Saylor was stopped near the Englewood Walmart on October 17 and claimed that he had swum to shore after his boat started sinking during the storm. He said he stayed with a friend and left a note but was arrested in connection to the Beach Road burglary as well as another incident on Sand Dollar Lane.
In a separate case, deputies also arrested Robert Lamothe (11/05/1982) on October 17. Lamothe broke into a storage unit at Hideaway Self-Storage on Tamiami Trail after the storm, stealing over $2,000 worth of items while the business was without power. The victim discovered his stolen AirPods for sale on Facebook Marketplace and arranged a meet-up with the seller, with deputies present to make the arrest. Lamothe was taken into custody after the serial number confirmed the AirPods were stolen.
Sheriff Bill Prummell expressed outrage over the incidents, stating, “It makes me sick to think that people who evacuated for their safety returned to this unnecessary stress. To take advantage of someone during a state of emergency is despicable, and I hope these two individuals take time to reflect on their actions behind bars.”
Both Saylor and Lamothe were transported to the Charlotte County Jail and face multiple charges.
Charges:
- Nelson J. Saylor:
- Burglary of an Unoccupied Dwelling Unarmed (State of Emergency)
- Grand Theft More Than $10K, Less Than $20K (State of Emergency, x2)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Possession of Controlled Substances (x2)
- Robert Lamothe:
- Grand Theft Property More than $750 but Less Than $5,000
- Burglary of an Unoccupied Structure Unarmed (State of Emergency)