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 Editorials | Issues | October 2007 
Predators Move In As Fires Move Out
 BYLINE
| | Crooks in various guises have outraged San Diegans as they ply their criminal trades in the wake of the San Diego Firestorm. |
San Diego - Crooks in various guises have outraged San Diegans as they ply their criminal trades in the wake of the San Diego Firestorm.
On Wednesday, San Diego Sheriff's deputies arrested William Brock on suspicion of impersonating a firefighter after they saw him driving a personal pickup truck in Fallbrook, 40 miles north of San Diego. He wore a patch that read "Morongo Valley Fire Department," authorities said.
Deputies also arrested two people on suspicion of looting after allegedly seeing them leaving a burned home with a large bag in Campo, a city east of San Diego near Mexico.
On Thursday, deputies announced that they had arrested alleged looters in Jamul and Tecate.
Border Patrol agents said they stopped a man in Jamul during the afternoon who was carrying a backpack. Officials said the man was carrying a purse filled with costume jewelry. Investigators said the man was identified by his fingerprints as Pedro Cervantes, a Mexican citizen.
Deputies said Cervantes, who has a felony warrant in Riverside County, faces looting and narcotics charges.
In another incident, two men were arrested by Campo deputies on Wednesday afternoon. The suspects are accused of looting on the U.S. side of Tecate. Deputies said they saw the men leaving a burned-out home carrying a large bag. The men were taken into custody with the aid of Border Patrol agents and will face looting charges, said deputies.
San Diego Sheriff Bill Kolender warned criminals on Wednesday against taking advantage of the disaster by looting homes.
"Criminal activity will not be tolerated, and if you do it, arrests will be made," he said.
Earlier this week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made 1,500 California National Guardsmen available to the region, and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said the troops' main focus would be to prevent looting and help with evacuations.
Officials with San Diego Gas & Electric said Friday that they had been alerted by customers who said they had gotten called "suspected looters posing as SDG&E employees." A representative for the utility said that customers were asked if they had evacuated and where they lived, in addition to other personal information. SDG&E said that in some cases, people were told to leave their homes.
A statement from SDG&E said that utility workers would never ask customers for their addresses since they already have that information. Crews workers always wear company uniforms and have company ID, said SDG&E.
Law Enforcement: Charlatans Plague Evac Centers
Other alleged crooks are accused of posing as weary evacuees have tried to fill their pockets, pickup trucks and even tents with piles of donated food, clothing and toiletries at the largest camp for victims of California's wildfires.
Such problems were not confined to Qualcomm Stadium, where at the height of the evacuation 10,000 people gathered. Police have arrested others across the fire-ravaged region who were allegedly looting or impersonating a firefighter.
At the stadium, volunteer Karen Huff said she and other volunteers alerted police earlier this week when they spotted a half-dozen people loading two pickup trucks with relief items. Police confronted the thieves and recovered the goods.
"Thousands of dollars worth of stuff was being taken from these victims," Huff said. "It's the worst type of crime you can commit, when you take advantage of a situation like this."
The Border Patrol detained eight people Wednesday who were suspected of stealing cots, blankets and dry goods, said San Diego police Capt. Bob Kanaski. The Border Patrol agents were at the stadium running a bulletin board to keep evacuees informed of fire news, Kanaski said. Border Patrol officials did not immediately respond to phone messages Thursday night.
Authorities said some charlatans were coming to the disbursement center up to four or five times a day to stock up on supplies.
"People that we catch doing that, we make them put the items back and escort them off the property," said San Diego Police Sgt. J.G. Cesena.
By Wednesday, officials started giving bracelets to legitimate evacuees based on interviews and questionnaires.
Thieves and scam-artists have started taking advantage of the chaotic situation in other parts of Southern California, though authorities say the worst may be yet to come.
On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said it would investigate allegations of fraud and warned prosecutors would pursue those who steal federal relief meant for victims. Southern California has been declared a federal disaster area and now qualifies for federal funds.
Possible fraud might include bogus charities, criminals stealing the identities of fire victims or people filing false or inflated insurance claims.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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