Ravenswood man says thieves looted his flooded home

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Thieves looted a Ravenswood home last week shortly after flooding ruined the property, adding a second blow to an Indianapolis man’s recovery efforts.

Daren Arterberry rented his house in the Ravenswood neighborhood to his friend, Mike, when the nearby river overflowed. As the water rose, Arterberry urged his friend to evacuate.

“He got out,” Arterberry said. “I told him, ‘Hey, Mike, this is getting bad. You might grab what you can and go,’ and he did.”

Arterberry said the house quickly filled with nearly 3 feet of water. Despite the damage, he remains committed to the area he has called home for 39 years.

“It’s a great neighborhood and we love the river until this kind of stuff happens,” he said.

When Arterberry returned to assess the damage, he found ruined walls and a broken furnace and water heater. He then discovered thieves had broken in and stolen his refrigerator, washer, and dryer.

The theft caused further damage when the looters left the water running after unhooking the washing machine, flooding the garage, again.

“The damage was already done because of the river water that got in there,” Arterberry said. “But...