ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) — Two men, Deandre Smith, 49, and Rathan Robinson, 34, have been arrested for stealing copper pipes from a vacant building damaged by a tornado earlier this year in St. Louis.
Officers were alerted to multiple thefts occurring in the 5300 block of Savoy Court, an area impacted by the May tornado. Police caught Smith and Robinson in the act of removing copper piping from the basement of the now-vacant apartment building.
Both suspects were found with burglary tools at the scene. Deandre Smith faces several charges including second-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, felony stealing, felony property damage, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance while in jail. Authorities reported that Smith was found with a small quantity of fentanyl.
Rathan Robinson was charged with second-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, felony stealing, and felony property damage.
The arrests highlight ongoing challenges in protecting vulnerable neighborhoods recovering from natural disasters.
