South Carolina lawmaker wants tougher sanctions for looting during an evacuation
COLUMBIA — After nearly 50 people reported burglaries at their Beaufort County homes during Hurricane Matthew last fall, residents said they will no longer leave when an evacuation is called.
But a Bluffton lawmaker is trying ease their minds by increasing the penalty for those who commit burglaries.
State Rep. Weston Newton, R-Bluffton, said he wants to give residents more peace of mind by moving to strengthen the penalties of the state's evacuee-protection laws.
"In Hilton Head, after the bridges were closed and the island evacuated, there’s video footage of folks coming from other places, and in fact other states, by boats and tying up in areas in Harbour Town (neighborhood) that was so devastated," Newton said Thursday during a subcommittee hearing on the bill, H 3334.
Read more: http://www.postandcourier.com/politics/south-carolina-lawmaker-wants-tougher-sanctions-for-looting-during-an/article_58b70c44-e95f-11e6-870b-e350a02439c5.html