In wake of Upper Keys arrests county marine theft down

In wake of Upper Keys arrests

county marine theft down

BY TERRY SCHMIDA

No convictions have yet been made in the rash of marine-related thefts that plagued the county over the past year or so, but arrests made back in September seem to have had a positive effect on the problem.

The sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies had been investigating nearly 100 cases of marine technology, lower unit, and boat theft since November of 2014. But that number has shrunk to a handful, largely due to the dampening effect of the arrests in Tavernier of Yosvany Izquierdo Marquez, of Miami, and Roberto Morales Diaz, of Hialeah.

The simultaneous bust of the two men was the culmination of work undertaken by a task force assembled by Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsey, which included input from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, Key West Police Department, Customs and Border Protection agents, and the State Attorney’s Office.

“I can tell you that absolutely [the thefts] have tapered off,” said Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin. “The arrests have certainly had an effect. Whether its that, the high profile nature of the whole operation, or whether the thieves have moved somewhere else, it’s probably a combination of all of the above. We had a great effort from all the agencies taking part, and with the community pitching in to help, I think we’ve made it really tough to commit those kinds of crimes in our community.”

On Aug. 5, the MCSO announced that it was partnering with Crime Stoppers of the Florida Keys to offer combined rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to arrests in the multitude of thefts which had bedeviled Middle and Lower Keys boaters recently. Specifically, the MCSO was seeking tips about stolen marine electronics and lower units from boat motors.

During that first week of August alone, the sheriff’s office reported:

· A boat docked behind a home on 5^th Avenue Gulf was burglarized between Aug. 2 and 3. Fishing equipment and a high-end Garmin GPS were stolen from a 31-foot Contender.

· Another vessel docked behind a home on Yellowtail Drive in Marathon was robbed around the same time. In this case, another Garmin GPS unit was stolen from the boat’s center console.

· A 26-foot Sailfish center console parked on a trailer next to a house on Channel Drive in Marathon was burglarized between 1:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Aug. 3. Once again, a Garmin GPS was stolen along with rods and reels and a tackle box.

· A vessel docked behind a home on Corte Del Sol in Marathon was burglarized between Aug. 2 and 3. A GPS system and three engine gauges were taken from the center console of the boat.

· A boat docked at a home on Grouper Drive in Marathon was burglarized between Aug. 2 and 3. A GPS system was taken from the vessel.

· A 30-foot Sailfish boat was burglarized while docked behind a home on Treasure Road in Marathon between Aug. 2 and 3. A GPS and radar unit were taken from the center console.

· Between Aug. 3 and 4, a 28-foot Mako docked at the Sunshine Key Marina, off Big Pine Key, was burglarized. A Garmin GPS was stolen from the boat.

· Also, between Aug. 3 and 4, two lower units were taken form a 25 foot Mako boat docked at the Sunshine Key marina.

Neither Yosvany Izquierdo Marquez or Roberto Morales Diaz has been charged with any of the above mentioned crimes.