TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Some Charlotte County homeowners who evacuated for Hurricane Milton returned to find that some of their belongings had been stolen, authorities said.
One woman in Englewood left on Oct. 8 and returned Oct. 14 to a window that was smashed by a fire extinguisher. The front door was also unlocked, deputies said. Missing from the home was a generator, laptop, backpack and jewelry. There was a broken safe and an opened can of soup left on the counter.
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Nelson J. Saylor, 57, was identified as a suspect and later taken into custody, deputies said. He was also a person of interest in a separate burglary. Nelson reportedly told deputies that his boat was sinking so he swam to shore and stayed with a friend.
Saylor was charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling unarmed during a state of emergency; two counts of grand theft between $10K and $20K during a state of emergency; possession of use of drug paraphernalia; and two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.