Looking For Looters: Police Patrols Make Arrests In South Lake Tahoe Evacuation Zone

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) — Police patrols are cracking down connected looters successful South Lake Tahoe and person made respective arrests since evacuations were ordered successful the area.

On Friday, the streets of South Lake Tahoe were lined with instrumentality enforcement – the lone radical that are typically allowed to beryllium astir during an evacuation order. The emptiness makes it easier to spot those lingering oregon looting, crimes of accidental targeting Tahoe.

“We’ve recovered store doors rolled up. We’ve recovered doors unlocked,” said Officer Traci Trapani, with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. “They person casual entree to a batch of this.”

Many homeowners scrambled to flee, and whitethorn person near looters with casual entree successful evacuated neighborhoods – but from afar, astir everyone hopes constabulary tin support their homes.

“They’ve worked their full beingness to physique and marque a location retired of and survive,” said Trapani.

Trapani said constabulary patrols each time and night, and person already nabbed a fistful of looters. Most of them, she says, are section to the country and ne'er near contempt the evacuation orders and whitethorn present beryllium taking vantage of the emptiness.

Other agencies from crossed the authorities are helping the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, including the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. They’ve made galore of the arrests, truthful far.

“Some radical person been breaking into houses,” said Lt. Steven Johnson with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. “Others person been stealing spot that’s laying astir the houses.”

Johnson said things similar stolen bikes were rapidly recovered, acknowledgment to the assistance of location surveillance systems. Suspect searches person turned up weapons and tools premier for stealing.

Officers similar Johnson are conscionable blessed to assistance support the streets safe, and the Tahoe assemblage is appreciative.

“It’s conscionable our mode of giving back,” Lt. Johnson said. “Everybody is saying convey you successful assorted ways – it’s decidedly appreciated by everyone successful instrumentality enforcement.”

But not each alarm successful municipality is triggered by a person. More than a twelve of them, constabulary say, person travel from bears.

“You’ll spot garbage cans tipped over,” said Trapani. “The bears are conscionable trying to past done the fires also.”

While those bears won’t beryllium recovered down bars, the radical who interruption into homes apt will. South Lake Tahoe PD said determination person been 7 arrests truthful acold this week, and 4 of them person been specifically for looting.

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Looting is considered a misdemeanor, but tin beryllium upgraded to a felony depending connected what’s taken. Those who were arrested are taken and booked into the jailhouse successful Placerville, owed to the ongoing evacuation order.