Accused Tornado Looter was Hoarding Relief Supplies: Police

Police in tornado-ravaged Fairfield caught a man stealing relief supplies and hoarding them in his house, according to the DeKalb County sheriff’s office.

Richard Burtch, 44, was in Fairfield to help a relative whose home was destroyed when an EF-4 swept through western Illinois on April 9. In the aftermath, donations of medicine, food, toiletries, tools and other supplies poured into town. The tornado leveled Fairfield, took two lives and injured about two dozen people.

A Fairdale resident spotted Burtch loading up his truck over and over again with donated supplies, according to police, including a wheelbarrow and baby stroller. Police confronted him and he unloaded his truck. Police then went to Burtch’s home in nearby Stillman Valley, where they found 35 donation tubs, medicines, food, toiletries, three new wheelbarrows, a dozen rakes, shovels and brooms.

Police said Burtch stuck around to take these items for himself after his relative’s property had been cleaned up. The officers carted Burtch to jail and charged him with felony looting and attempted looting. As of Monday, he was behind bars with bail set at $50,000.

All of the items were returned to Fairdale.

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