Texas police chief to suspected looters: "Eternal damnation shall be their final punishment" "Even if you get away with it, your punishment will be the gates of hell."





See more from the Vidor Police Department ahead and photos of the destruction caused by Harvey. less Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll said his officers dealt with numerous thieves in their jurisdiction after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas. Carroll used Facebook to warn thieves to not target Vidor residents.



See more ... more Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll said his officers dealt with numerous thieves in their jurisdiction after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas. Carroll used Facebook to warn thieves to not target Vidor residents. Photo: Vidor Police Department Photo: Vidor Police Department Image 1 of / 200 Caption Close Texas police chief to suspected looters: "Eternal damnation shall be their final punishment" 1 / 200 Back to Gallery

A Texas police chief is not holding back how he feels about thieves he believes targeted people in his jurisdiction when Hurricane Harvey hit nearly two weeks ago, saying some will be punished to "eternal damnation."

Rod Carroll, chief of Vidor Police Department near Beaumont, posted a photo to the department's Facebook page of three men sitting on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs, accused of looting and burglarizing homes in a subdivision.

"...these people are the lowest of the low to steal from those that have lost so much. Eternal damnation shall be their final punishment," Carrol wrote.

BEFORE AND AFTER HARVEY: Satellite photos of the Houston area show the extreme damage

I would like to congratulate the diligence of the Midnight shift of the Vidor Police Department: On Friday morning Vidor... Posted by Vidor Police Department on Friday, September 8, 2017

Carroll, who has been in law enforcement for 30 years, had his own home destroyed during Harvey.

"We have people who came in and they preyed upon those who had nothing," Carroll told Chron.com. "It's like taking a wallet off a dead person. I just don't understand it."

He said he hopes the warnings on the page are loud and clear on where he stands with robbers.

"Sumbitch thieves, I will catch you," reads one meme featuring Buford T. Justice from Smokey and the Bandit on the page. "No truer words have been spoken in our community," says the caption accompanying the post.

No truer words have been spoken in our community. #Vidorstrong #VidorPDStrong Posted by Vidor Police Department on Saturday, September 9, 2017

AFTER THE STORM: How Hurricane Harvey impacted Buffalo Bayou

The police chief said thieves have targeted tools, electronics and anything dry. As people have opened their doors to let homes air out and avoid molding, thieves have reportedly been targeting people in Vidor. The city is just outside of Beaumont and in a region that got hit with nearly 50 inches of rain during Harvey, according to the National Weather Service.

"We had one thief going around saying there was a mandatory evacuation. He turned out to be a known burglar," Carroll said. "I told people to watch over their neighbors, we can't be everywhere at once."

In the Friday post featuring the three alleged thieves, the police chief said the suspects are from Louisiana. Troy Pitre, 44 and Blaine Pitre, 23, are from Ragley. Brock Manuel, 24, is from Lake Charles. All three have been charged with robbery but were released 7 hours later since the Orange County District Attorney's Office was closed because of storm damage.

When contacted on Tuesday, an inspector answered the district attorney's phone, saying workers had to work from a remote location while the building was inspected.

HISTORIC STORMS: Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, compared

While some supported Carroll's condemnation of the suspects, some were not enthusiastic to Carroll's tone.

"Definitely not liking the religious overtones of this press release - keep the secular facts of the case, rather than opining your belief that further punishment will be forthcoming," one commenter wrote.

Carroll said criticism won't move him to take down his posts.

"Even if you get away with it, your punishment will be the gates of hell. You're taking advantage of someone who has nothing," Carroll said of accused robbers who used the storm as a cover to steal from people.

WEATHERING THE STORM: Houston communities that fared the best during Hurricane Harvey

The police chief isn't sure how many suspects have been arrested on looting charges but he did say there have been 17 arrests since a curfew was put into place earlier this month.

A spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Texas said she was unsure if thieves were targeting people across the county or if it was concentrated in Vidor.

Now that the hurricane has passed, the chief said the next task is to try to get things back to normal.

"Four staff members have lost homes and half the homes in town are destroyed by water damage," he said. "But we're Texas strong and we're going to recover."