[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/criminal-charges-looting-hurricane-harvey\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/criminal-charges-looting-hurricane-harvey\/","headline":"Criminal Charges for Looting After Hurricane Harvey","name":"Criminal Charges for Looting After Hurricane Harvey","description":"Just a handful of states have specific laws that address looting. The flooding and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey will affect Houston and greater Texas for years to come. As people slowly begin to return to their homes and rebuild, prosecutors in Harris County and the surrounding areas have already pursued looting charges against 14...","datePublished":"2017-09-16","dateModified":"2022-11-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/author\/broden-mickelsen\/#Person","name":"Mick Mickelsen","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/author\/broden-mickelsen\/","identifier":16,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/30690d9f76c45bf5d61434169e78762d673b1ac9b949489cf69f1c78d567fc27?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/30690d9f76c45bf5d61434169e78762d673b1ac9b949489cf69f1c78d567fc27?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Broden, Mickelsen LLP","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Broden-and-Mickelsen-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Broden-and-Mickelsen-Logo.png","width":378,"height":77}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Criminal-Charges-for-Looting-After-Hurricane-Harvey.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Criminal-Charges-for-Looting-After-Hurricane-Harvey.jpg","height":2560,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/criminal-charges-looting-hurricane-harvey\/","about":["Criminal Defense"],"wordCount":527,"keywords":["Criminal Charge for Looting","Looting","Looting After Hurricane Harvey","Looting for Survival vs Opportunistic Theft","Texas criminal defense lawyer"],"articleBody":"Just a handful of states have specific laws that address looting.The flooding and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey will affect Houston and greater Texas for years to come. As people slowly begin to return to their homes and rebuild, prosecutors in Harris County and the surrounding areas have already pursued looting charges against 14 people, according to media reports.The Harris County District Attorney has also stated that \u201cburglarizing a home in a disaster area could carry a life sentence under Texas law.\u201d Under state law, prosecutors can also pursue enhanced penalties for property crimes, such as burglary and robbery, which occur \u201cduring a state of disaster.\u201dHowever, is there a difference between looting for material gain and looting for survival? If you\u2019re charged with \u201cstealing\u201d bottled water or groceries because you\u2019re desperate and starving, does the law allow any leniency? A natural disaster like a severe hurricane often forces courts to examine the individual and unique circumstances of a case and the environment in which it occurred. Just a handful of states have specific laws that address looting. In most states, prosecutors turn to theft statutes to pursue charges against individuals charged with looting.Looting for Survival vs. Opportunistic TheftThe potential differences between looting for survival versus so-called \u201copportunistic theft\u201d surfaced when an ABC News reporter announced on Twitter that he had observed individuals breaking into a grocery store and had reported them to the police. The reporter faced backlash online, with people responding \u201clooting a supermarket in a flood is also known as getting food\u201d and \u201cpeople taking food from supermarkets in a multi-day disaster are not looters, they are survivors.\u201dMost people tend to make a distinction between \u201ctheft\u201d of things like food items, water, and first aid supplies versus breaking into an appliance store and making off with plasma televisions and expensive electronic equipment. The first items likely have little monetary value; the second are unrelated to basic needs, such as food and water.According to a Forbes report, social psychologists even make a distinction between \u201clooking of goods needed for survival,\u201d \u201copportunistic theft of goods such as TV sets,\u201d and \u201ccollective action, conditioned by the political environment.\u201dJames Glass, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, calls the first type of looking \u201cjustifiable,\u201d stating, \u201cWhen there is a breakdown of civil order, and when people fear they are going to starve or die of thirst, one could make a moral case in these sorts of circumstances for looting.\u201dUnfortunately, police may arrest people first and ask questions later. Anyone charged with a property theft crime following a natural disaster should speak with an experienced lawyer to discuss their options.Contact a Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer About Your CaseIf you\u2019ve been charged with a crime, don\u2019t hesitate to speak to an experienced Texas criminal defense lawyer about your case.Sources:http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/08\/31\/us\/harvey-texas-latest\/index.htmlhttp:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/abc-reporter-tom-llamas-hurricane-harvey-looting-2017-8https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/erikkain\/2011\/08\/28\/crime-in-the-wake-of-hurricane-irene\/#2dedd4651d22https:\/\/www.thestreet.com\/story\/12851733\/1\/ferguson-missouri-unrest-why-looting-isnt-illegal.htmlDallas Criminal Defense LawyerBroden & Mickelsen, LLP2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204Main Phone: (214) 720-9552"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Criminal Charges for Looting After Hurricane Harvey","item":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/criminal-charges-looting-hurricane-harvey\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]