Claremore residents on high alert after attempted looting

CLAREMORE, Oklahoma – As if picking up the pieces of their lives scattered across their yards wasn’t enough, the people of Claremore now have to be on guard against people trying to take advantage of them.

Charles Jennings said it seems his neighborhood, which is home to many elderly people, is already a target.

“An hour later, people came in and said, ‘We’re chasing the storm,’ and I said, ‘You’re sitting in a beat-up red truck and you don’t look like you live here,'” Jennings said. “I said, ‘You need to leave the area immediately.'”

Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton addressed concerns about looting in the county on May 28.

He said a man named Koby Thompson was arrested for planning a looting spree with a group of people.

According to an affidavit, Claremore police officers proactively arrested him as he left his home to commit the crime while wearing a mask and carrying tools.

“We were able to intercept him. He had a lot of evidence of what he was planning to do,” said Claremore Police Chief Steve Cox. “The latest report suggests he is responsible for numerous burglaries.”

As strong winds swept through his town, Jennings and his family sought shelter in their nearly 100-year-old brick house.
He served four tours in the U.S. military and said that weekend was one of the most terrifying moments of his life.

“It felt like the air and everything else had been sucked out of the house, and my eardrums were filling up, like I was under pressure,” Jennings said. “I thought the roof of the house was gone. Then when I went up the stairs and saw it was still there, I thought, OK, we’re intact. Then I went outside and saw all the devastation, the people in the streets.”

His garden is his biggest concern and Jennings knows he can be lucky in that regard.

The children’s play equipment in the backyard was crushed by an uprooted tree. A trampoline was thrown across the lawn, but his house only suffered some minor damage.

Because of this good fortune, Jennings stopped by his neighbors and looked out for them.

“People are trying to search the perimeter to see if they can get in and get what they want,” Jennings said. “One of the neighbors said a generator has already been stolen.”

Jennings finds it difficult to understand what would motivate someone to take advantage of such a vulnerable community.

“You’re taking advantage of people who are in need, who are devastated, who have never experienced trauma before, which means a lot of people are going to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said. “And on top of that, you’re trying to steal what little they have?”

Rogers County authorities advise all area residents to carefully vet any contractor they work with before hiring them to avoid being taken advantage of.

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