Accused Marina Del Rey Boat Pirate Faces Possible Criminal Charge

MARINA DEL REY, CA — A 41-year-old man was facing possible criminal charges Monday for allegedly stealing a youth group's 30-foot sailboat in Marina del Rey and leaving a derelict dinghy in its stead.

The 1979 Islander was stolen on March 17.

Deputies assigned to the Marina del Rey Sheriff's Station responded at about 9:15 a.m. that day to the 13600 block of Mindanao Way after getting a report regarding a stolen boat, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The craft belongs to a chapter of the nonprofit Sea Scouts organization, which uses it for local sailing programs.

The chapter's leader said that when he saw the vessel was missing, he noticed a beaten-up sailboat had been left on one end of the dock.

The suspect who left the sickly sloop behind had placed the stolen boat's registration numbers on it and presumably was using the Island Hopper's registration number, Sea Scout skipper Paul Renner said.

Investigators, with assistance from a civilian, managed to recover the sloop in the Marina Harbor last Monday.

They located the suspect on Tuesday, arresting and booking him on suspicion of possession of stolen property — the boat — and possession of narcotics for sale, sheriff's officials said, adding that additional property believed to have been stolen has since been recovered.

The suspect's name was not released and it was unclear if he remained in custody on Monday.

According to news reports, he had been living on the stolen sailboat in the months since his calloused caper.

The case remains under investigation and anyone with information regarding the theft was urged to call the Marina del Rey Sheriff's Station at 310-482-6000.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800- 222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.