SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Days after people in South Lake Tahoe were told to leave their homes due to the threat of the Caldor Fire, two suspected looters were arrested in the evacuated city.
In a post to Facebook, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said the bust happened on Sept. 2 while deputies from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office were on security detail in the area of Spruce Avenue and Heather Lake Avenue.
Police said deputies saw a man near a house while they were checking on the neighborhood and, when they tried to contact him, the man allegedly tried to leave the area in a vehicle.
Deputies pulled the vehicle over and made contact. Investigating deputies said they discovered the man had been looting in the area.
He was identified as a 28-year-old South Lake Tahoe resident and accused of looting, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to leave an evacuation zone, altering a replica firearm to look like a real firearm, and false registration. Several suspected stolen items were also recovered.
Minutes later, deputies found another man in the backyard of a home on Herbert Avenue. He was arrested and was accused of looting, burglary, possession of burglary tools, and failure to leave an evacuation zone.
WATCH ALSO:
