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From St. Pete Times:
PUNTA GORDA - After the hurricane ended, the looting began.
Among the first targets, officials said, was the Charlotte Harbor Fire Department. Firefighters arrived early Saturday to find that their computers had been swiped in the night.
Charlotte County Sheriff's Office spokesman Robert Carpenter said his office is getting regular reports of looting from residents of the area's many storm-wrecked neighborhoods. Carpenter said his officers are responding when able, but that they are saddled with more pressing demands, such as caring for survivors.
"No question about it," he said. "We are behind on these types of calls."
The fear of looting is so widespread, many residents are staying in their damaged homes to protect their valuables. Emergency shelters have far fewer people than officials had expected given the extensive damage in Charlotte County.
At the Harborview Park mobile home community, 45-year-old Peter Fernandes returned to his mother's damaged home early Sunday. It appeared to him as if the door had been jimmied.
"Sons of b------," Fernandes said. "They have no respect for people, even in times like these."
Down the road in the park sat Vietnam veteran Gary Snyder, drinking Miller High Life. Snyder, who was among only a handful in Harborview who rode out the storm, said residents were anxious about looters, but he was prepared.
"If I see 'em, I'll shoot 'em," he said. "They're gone. I'll tell 'em I had a flashback."
Current mood: Sleepy