Wozencraft
08-20-2007, 11:56 AM
Here is an article written from a local newspaper in Washington State. This boat owner went to great lengths to get his boat back...
[posted earlier in hot spots west]
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Man Takes to the Air to Get His Boat Back
Police believe the Olympia man may have helped discover a theft ring in the process.
BY JOSH FARLEY JFARLEY@KITSAPSUN.COM
JEFFERSON COUNTY
A vigilant Olympia man went to great lengths to recover his stolen 35-foot speed boat last week, chartering a plane to scour highways in Jefferson and Mason counties.
His aerial perspective paid off. The man spotted his boat being towed along Highway 101 near Quilcene on Thursday. And he may also have uncovered a theft ring that involves several boats and suspects, according to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office.
The man's 2005 Cobalt speed boat was stolen on Aug. 7 from a repair shop.
Friends told the boat owner they'd seen it in Shelton. So the owner chartered the plane, spotted the boat on Highway 101 and called authorities.
The couple towing the boat - a 52 year-old Bremerton woman and 49 year-old Port Orchard man - told police that they'd recently bought it, according to Jefferson County Undersheriff Tim Perry.
The pair said they didn't know the boat was stolen, but they knew where they got it. They directed police to a home just off Highway 104 near the western side of the Hood Canal bridge.
That's where investigators found another boat, this one from Milton, Perry said.
Police were also given the name of a possible suspect - a 40-year-old Port Orchard man already in Jefferson County jail on a DUI charge. He once lived at the home near the Hood Canal bridge.
Police have recommended charges of first-degree possession of stolen property against the 40-year old, Perry said. But they believe there are more suspects and more stolen boats. They suspect that thieves took other boats for the purpose of chopping them up and selling the metal.
"This could blow open," Perry said, but he added: "We don't know if it's a theft ring or just a couple of guys stealing a lot of boats."
[posted earlier in hot spots west]
------------------
Man Takes to the Air to Get His Boat Back
Police believe the Olympia man may have helped discover a theft ring in the process.
BY JOSH FARLEY JFARLEY@KITSAPSUN.COM
JEFFERSON COUNTY
A vigilant Olympia man went to great lengths to recover his stolen 35-foot speed boat last week, chartering a plane to scour highways in Jefferson and Mason counties.
His aerial perspective paid off. The man spotted his boat being towed along Highway 101 near Quilcene on Thursday. And he may also have uncovered a theft ring that involves several boats and suspects, according to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office.
The man's 2005 Cobalt speed boat was stolen on Aug. 7 from a repair shop.
Friends told the boat owner they'd seen it in Shelton. So the owner chartered the plane, spotted the boat on Highway 101 and called authorities.
The couple towing the boat - a 52 year-old Bremerton woman and 49 year-old Port Orchard man - told police that they'd recently bought it, according to Jefferson County Undersheriff Tim Perry.
The pair said they didn't know the boat was stolen, but they knew where they got it. They directed police to a home just off Highway 104 near the western side of the Hood Canal bridge.
That's where investigators found another boat, this one from Milton, Perry said.
Police were also given the name of a possible suspect - a 40-year-old Port Orchard man already in Jefferson County jail on a DUI charge. He once lived at the home near the Hood Canal bridge.
Police have recommended charges of first-degree possession of stolen property against the 40-year old, Perry said. But they believe there are more suspects and more stolen boats. They suspect that thieves took other boats for the purpose of chopping them up and selling the metal.
"This could blow open," Perry said, but he added: "We don't know if it's a theft ring or just a couple of guys stealing a lot of boats."