AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Three people in Amarillo have been arrested for stealing from some of the victims of the February 27, 2011 grassfires.
According to the Potter County Sheriff's Office, Martin Rodriguez-Flores, 48, and his son were arrested after allegedly stealing from residents in the Mesilla Park area, which was affected by the grassfires.
Deputies received a call from a homeowner on Wednesday evening in the 8000 block of Sanford who claimed that a car had just tried to run him over. The caller told deputies the incident started when he noticed a blue and white suburban type SUV with a trailer on his property, and two males here loading his belongings into the car. The caller approached the pair to see what they were doing, then the suspects started to leave the property and they allegedly tried to run him over. Deputies found the car in the 2200 block of Willow Creek As the deputy was turning around to begin a pursuit, the officer noticed the car pull over on the side of the road. Deputies got behind the vehicle, but found only one person was inside, an unlicensed 16-year-old. Deputies said the father, Martin Rodriguez-Flores, jumped out of the car before the pursuit began.
Deputies found a partially burned lawn tractor inside the trailer and are trying to determine who it belongs to. They also found a partially burned ATV at the home of the suspects, which has been determined to have been stolen from the Mesilla Park area. They also said the trailer was stolen a year ago from the Rolling Hills area, but deputies don't know if the two stole the trailer. The juvenile was booked into the Youth Center of the High Plains charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Criminal Trespass. Rodriguez-Flores was charged with criminal trespass and an immigration hold placed on him.
Potter County officials said they have stepped up patrols in the Mesilla Park addition and encourage anyone who notices suspicious activity to report it. ProNews7 spoke to Brian Thomas, the Potter County Sheriff, about the thefts, he said, "We feel the anger, the hurt, the resentment of someone being taken advantage of. If you don't have permission by the homeowners then we're going to arrest you. That's their property regardless of whether it was burned or not, it's still their property." He continued saying, "Some of those people out there lost everything they had, everything they had, then you have someone going along behind them and taking whatever little bit they had left to even go through and to me that's just, there's no words to describe that."
In Randall County, authorities said they busted a man from stealing from fire victims as well. Christopher Wayne Garrett, 23, was arrested March 8, 2011 after a person in the Palisades area saw him allegedly taking copper wire. The Randall County Sheriff's Department says the neighbors stopped him and he claimed he had permission. After trying to verify if he had permission, neighbors say he took off with a truck full of copper wire.
The incident occurred on Jami Lane, which was one of the hardest hit areas. Garrett is charged with theft of property more than $50 and less tan $500. He also had marijuana and is being charged with possession of a controlled substance.
According to the Randall County Sheriff's Department, Garrett had a receipt from a scrap place from earlier in the day, meaning it could have been at least his second run.
