Sheriff’s deputy, FWC officers recover stolen boat

A boat, stolen from a storage area at Coconut Cay Resort in Marathon, was recovered during a cooperative effort by the Sheriff’s Office and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers.

The boat – a 25 foot 1997 Sea  Cat catamaran named Kon Tiki – was stolen between the evening of October 7th and the morning of October 8th. It has been stored on a trailer at the storage area prior to the arrival of Hurricane Matthew. The boat had two 150 HP Suzuki engines on it. On the morning of October 8th, Deputy Joshua Baer responded to the boat ramp on Harbor Drive in Marathon after receiving reports a boat trailer had been left in the water at the boat ramp. He found the trailer in the water. The trailer was the one the stolen vessel had been stored on.

Witnesses in the area of the boat ramp said they saw a small pickup truck towing the vessel and putting it in the water. They said they noticed it because the truck was too small to tow such a big boat.

On October 21st, Deputy Wilfredo Guerra, FWC Officer Olly Adams and FWC pilot Daniel Willman conducted a search from the water and the air for any signs of the boat. Pilot Willman spotted the boat from the air offshore of the 57 mile marker, hidden deep in a mangrove area. Deputy Guerra and Officer Adams used Sheriff’s Office wave runners to reach the area where the boat was hidden. They towed the vessel out of the mangroves.

Sheriff’s Detective Rosa DiGiovanni has been assigned to investigation the theft.

Anyone with information about this crime should contact the Sheriff’s Office. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers of the Florida Keys. If a Crime Stoppers tip leads to an arrest, the caller would be eligible for a cash reward. The Crime Stoppers hot line number is 1-800-346-TIPS. Tips may be made anonymously on line at www.tipsubmit.com or via a text message to 274637 using the keyword TIP136.

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