Man Gets Life Sentence For Hurricane Looting

Man Gets Life Sentence For Hurricane Looting

POSTED: 8:35 pm EDT April 25, 2006

BEAUMONT, Texas -- A man with a criminal record was sentenced to life in prison for looting evacuated homes in Beaumont, Texas, during Hurricane Rita.

Authorities said 45-year-old Kenneth Koch of Beaumont could be eligible for parole in 20 years.

Koch pleaded guilty to burglarizing three houses.

Prosecutor John Nelson said Koch told police he was watching TV during Hurricane Katrina and began thinking of ways to benefit from the disaster.

Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August. Then Rita made landfall Sept. 24 near Sabine Pass.

Nelson said when Rita came ashore, Koch decided to break into some houses.

Texas prison system records show Koch has a criminal record going back to 1988.

The list includes theft, tampering with a government record, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, unlawful carrying of a weapon and evading arrest.

http://tinyurl.com/lxk9x local6.com

Excuse me, but I thought the headline said, "Man Gets Life Sentence For Hurricane Looting." Then down in the body of the text is says he will be illegible for parole in 20 years! Life in prison is just that, life, there is no parole, ever!

BTW, this whole charade could have been avoided if looters where just shot on sight and their bodies tossed to the gators.