CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Two men are in jail after the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says one broke into a home during Hurricane Milton. Another man, in a separate crime, broke into a storage unit.
On Oct. 8, deputies say a woman left her Englewood home on Beach Road ahead of Milton. When she came back on Oct. 14, the woman says her front window had been broken with a fire extinguisher and the front door was unlocked.
Deputies say jewelry, tools, a generator, laptop and backpack were missing. They also noticed an open, broken safe and an open can of soup on the counter.
Through the investigation, they identified Nelson Saylor as the suspect, who they believe might be connected to another burglary in Englewood on Sand Dollar Lane. They found him at an Englewood Walmart on Oct. 17.
When confronted, Nelson claimed his boat started sinking during Milton, so he swam to shore and stayed with a friend he left a note for. Deputies arrested him for both burglaries as well as grand theft and drug charges.
This wasn't the only crime during Milton and the aftermath.
Deputies say Robert Lamothe broke into the Hideaway storage facility at 835 Tamiami Trail and stole $2,000 worth of items. The business didn't have power or security at the time due to Hurricane Milton. Deputies say Lamothe stole Airpods and an Apple Watch.
The sheriff's office says Lamothe started selling the stolen items on Facebook Marketplace. One of the victims actually discovered his own stolen Airpods for sale online and arranged to "buy them."
However, he called the sheriff's office and said to be there when the "seller," or Lamothe, arrived. Deputies confirmed the serial number on the Airpods did belong to the victim and they arrested Lamothe for burglary and grand theft.
