At least 11 Augusta suspects have been arrested for looting area businesses, including a man accused of taking eight bottles of Crown Royal from a liquor store on Boy Scout Road.
Miltone Francot Bellamy Jr., 41, has been charged with entering the Liquor Locker and taking six bottles of Crown Royal Black and two bottles of Crown Royal Apple, authorities said. He also added some mixers to his grocery list, authorities said.
Ten others have been arrested in connection with burglaries and looting at the Family Dollar on Deans Bridge Road, the Dollar General on Gordon Highway and the Family Dollar on Sand Bar Ferry Road. Their names and charges have not been released.
Potential charges include burglary in the second degree, theft by taking, theft by receiving stolen property and criminal trespassing.
Bellamy is a repeat offender with an earlier arrest in August for order to show cause in Superior Court and a 2023 arrest for shoplifting, obstruction and possession of a controlled substance (Benzodiazepine).
Looting during a natural disaster is not only illegal but also profoundly misguided. Statistics highlight the severity of looting during disasters. According to a study by the National Institute of Justice, incidents of looting can increase by as much as 200% in areas affected by natural disasters.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, reports indicated that looting surged, with estimates suggesting that more than 2,000 incidents occurred in the New Orleans area alone. These figures underscore the destructive nature of looting—not only does it harm local businesses, but it also diverts law enforcement resources away from critical recovery efforts.
Looters face serious legal repercussions that can include hefty fines and imprisonment.
