NC soldier returns from Florence relief, finds house ransacked

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP/WNCN) — A North Carolina soldier returned home after helping with the Hurricane Florence relief effort to find his home had been robbed.

Multiple media outlets report that National Guardsman Luis Ocampo was working in storm-battered New Bern for 10 days and found his Charlotte home ransacked when he returned Friday.

Ocampo said he found everything of value had been stolen from his Grimes Street home, including a large TV, gaming system and a laptop with Ocampo’s schoolwork on it.

He said food was also stolen from his refrigerator.

Ocampo said his girlfriend and son were staying with family, but had checked on the house Thursday night.

By the next morning, his place had been ransacked.

WBTV reported that on Friday, Ocampo was getting rest and figuring out how to move forward.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have confirmed they are investigating.

A GoFundMe page for Ocampo raised $15,000 in one day. However, Ocampo said he and his family turned off the fundraising when it hit $15,000.

“We reached beyond our goal and felt that keeping it up would feel like we were taking advantage of others’ generosity,” Ocampo told CBS 17.