Tornado Looters Travel Hundreds Of Miles To Pillage Wreckage Left By Oklahoma Tornado

Three weeks after the Moore, Okla. tornado devastated the area, travelers have come from hundreds of miles away to steal possessions left behind in the rubble.

Several people have already been arrested, according to Oklahoma police. Among items stolen are appliances, wires and a $50,000 watch, the Daily Mail reported. Residents have complained to police about missing items shortly after the tornado, which killed 24 and left thousands homeless.

The allure of abandoned items has caused looters to come from far and wide to rummage through the remaining debris. Steven Corky Daniels was arrested June 2 after police spotted him with a large piece of utility wire in his hand. Daniels, who traveled from Harrisburg, Va., told the police he was there to loot.

"[Daniels] advised he drove from Virginia to Moore ... with two other subjects for the purpose of removing steel and copper utility wire from the disaster area," an affidavit filed in Cleveland County District Court read.

Steve Costello, 44, and Justin Wagner, 25, were arrested with Daniels. All three confessed to looting the affected area. Daniels was charged with disturbing a disaster area. Daniels and Wager live 1,200 miles outside of Moore and Costello listed his home address in Elmhurst, N.Y., about 1,500 miles from the tornado site. Not all who have come to loot have taken such a big journey. A woman by the name of Maria Lopez, of Norman, Okla., was spotted by police with stolen items in plain view as she instructed children to help her look through the debris.

Others have attempted to steal more than just metals, with one Oklahoma man, Edward Dean McDonald, 45, being arrested for attempting to load a refrigerator onto a dolly. Pricier items that have been stolen from other homes include $50,000 Patek Philippe wristwatch and a $13,000 Rolex and a $1,300 hunting camera. Some Moore residents have reported between $60,000 and $70,000 in stolen goods.

In response to the quickness in which looters arrived -- just two days after the tornado -- the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner said it would said up a system to deter theft. It is set to create badges for those who live in the area to be worn in the span of the next three months so only residents may be allowed into the area.