Responding to reports of looting—and of lawful citizens forming armed patrols to drive off looters—the Fayette County, W.Va., Sheriff’s Office issued a stark warning to criminals seeking to capitalize on the area’s recent floods: Looters and thieves “WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!”
As WCHS-TV reported, Sheriff Steve Kessler warned on Facebook that his office would run additional patrols to catch looters, and, “If the residents of this area catch you first, you may not make it to jail. If you are not a resident of this area and don’t have family members in the area you are trying to help, you need to stay out of this area.”
Although damage assessments are sketchy, some are comparing this year’s floods to the 1985 deluge that devastated West Virginia. “This is the worst I've ever seen,” Fayette County Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Mooney told Fox News. “Nobody expected seven inches of rain in three hours.”
