By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-01 20:22:38 | Updated at 2024-10-02 18:26:53
22 hours ago
While Hurricane Helene demolished the Southeast US over the weekend looters decided to ransack a Trump merch store in Florida.
Lance Petrisevac, 57, and John Peters, 61, were arrested on Friday in Madeira Beach after cops found them lingering outside of a shopping complex.
The officers, who were patrolling the closed-off beach area due to extensive flooding, ran into the men around 9.41pm just off of Madeira Way.
One of the suspects was sporting a Trump cowboy hat while the other was holding two Trump t-shirts, a coffee mug and a hat, according to documents obtained by The Smoking Gun.
Police said that Peters was 'heavily intoxicated' while Petrisevac told officers that the cowboy hat 'ended up in his possession' after it 'washed up from the hurricane.'
At the time, the retail store 'was unsecured due to damage from the storm,' police said, according to the outlet.
Lance Petrisevac, 57, and John Peters, 61, were arrested on Friday in Madeira Beach after cops said they found them lingering outside of a shopping complex with stolen Trump merchandise
One of the suspects was sporting a Trump cowboy hat while the other was holding two Trump t-shirts, a coffee mug and a hat
Both men, who police say are transients, were arrested for burglarizing an unoccupied structure, and loitering and prowling.
They are currently in custody at Pinellas County jail on a $250 bond, arrest records, reviewed by DailyMail.com, revealed.
A judge also ordered the thieves to stay away from the Trump store, according to The Smoking Gun.
When they were arrested, Petrisevac told officers he is employed as a 'local fisherman in the area but does not live here.'
Peters did not make any statements, as police said he 'appeared to be heavily intoxicated.'
Both men have repeatedly broken the law as prior arrest records revealed that Petrisevac has been arrested three other times in September alone.
On September 1 he was arrested for possession of open alcohol, five days later he was arrested for having an open container and trespassing in a structure after being warned, records showed.
A judge also ordered the thieves to stay away from the Trump store on Madeira Way following the burglary
Police said that Peters was 'heavily intoxicated' while Petrisevac told officers that the cowboy hat 'ended up in his possession' after it 'washed up from the hurricane.' (pictured: Inside the trump store)
On September 12 he was arrested again for trespassing in a structure after being warned.
Peters was arrested on September 4 for having open alcohol, and again two days later for having an open container. He was nabbed for the same charge on September 20, according to records.
CNN has reported that the intense storm has killed at least 137 people across the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, with the death toll expected to rise.
Rescuers are still continuing their efforts to make contact with hundreds of people who are cut off by washed-out roads and downed communication lines.
On social media, families and friends have been sharing images of missing loved ones on groups dedicated to finding those still lost since the storm.
A high concentration of those posting on the page have been sharing pictures of people inside Asheville, North Carolina, which was decimated by the weather.
CNN has reported that the intense storm has killed at least 137 people across the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, with the death toll expected to rise. (pictured: A woman who cries after losing everything in the storm in Florida)
A casket was seen being pulled around in powerful floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Helene in Tennessee after the storm
Locals in North Carolina and Tennessee have also since built their own online spreadsheet to help track those who have been found.
As of Tuesday morning 1,650 names had been entered, with 479 people being marked as found. Leaving a further 1,171 people still marked as missing.
A casket was seen being pulled around in powerful floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Helene in Tennessee.
The horrifying clip shows a casket being thrown around muddy flood water in Erwin, before it was later found in the debris during a community cleanup.
Karren Tipton had caught the footage of the casket, and was later part of the crew who recovered the casket, she told Fox.
It is unclear where the casket came from and whether there was a body inside it. DailyMail.com has contacted Tipton for further information.
