Man Charged with Taking Items from Fairdale Tornado Victims

SYCAMORE, Ill. (AP) — A 44-year-old northern Illinois man is accused of taking dozens of items donated to Fairdale residents following a tornado earlier this month.

Richard Burtch of Stillman Valley is charged with felony counts of looting and attempted looting. He’s accused of stealing six or seven pickup truck loads worth of supplies from a recovery effort benefiting victims of the April 9 tornado, which killed two people and injured at least 20 others.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office says a resident contact authorities Saturday after seeing Burtch, who was in town helping a family member whose house was destroyed in the tornado, load donated items into his vehicle.

The sheriff’s office says deputies found 43 plastic tubs filled with donated items, three wheelbarrows, and at least 12 rakes, shovels and brooms at Burtch’s residence on Sunday.

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