Tennessee authorities announced the arrest of eight migrant workers accused of looting in a flood-affected area after Hurricane Helene.
Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton shared the news on Facebook, revealing that deputies apprehended the suspects in the inundated 107 area on Saturday.
Five individuals—Albin Nahun Vega-Rapalo, 24; David Bairon Rapalo-Rapalo, 37; Kevin Noe Martinez-Lopez, 25; Marvin Hernandez-Martinez, 43; and Dayln Gabriel Guillen Guillen, 37—face charges of aggravated burglary into occupied structures.
The remaining three suspects—Jesus Leodan Garcia-Peneda, 51; Josue Berardo Ortis-Valdez, 30; and Ersy Leonel Ortis-Valdez, 33—are charged with burglary.
As of Monday, all eight men were in custody at the Washington County Detention Center, each held on a bond of $20,000. They were expected to appear in court later that day.
The sheriff’s office emphasised that deputies continue to patrol the flood-affected region, particularly in areas hardest hit by the disaster. A spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that all eight suspects legally reside in the U.S. on work visas, although she noted that their legal status may change due to the charges.
“We have been through way too much for this kind of behaviour,” the sheriff’s office spokesperson stated, adding that authorities will stop anyone found in the flood zones after dark, regardless of their appearance. The five men facing aggravated burglary charges were reportedly caught looting residential homes, while the other three targeted unoccupied structures that were “barely still standing.”
The spokesperson mentioned that communication in the area was severely impacted, with radios only arriving via helicopter the day before, complicating rescue and recovery efforts. Eastern Tennessee experienced significant rainfall and flooding due to Hurricane Helene, which Governor Bill Lee recently surveyed.
The storm has been linked to at least 133 deaths across six Southeastern states, inflicting widespread damage from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia.
Emergency responders gradually reach areas cut off by collapsed roads and failing infrastructure. During a briefing on Monday, White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall indicated that up to 600 people may still be unaccounted for, with concerns that some could be deceased.
