LA County investigators find boat stolen from Marina del Rey Sea Scouts in March
After months of searching, Los Angeles County investigators have finally located the stolen 30-foot boat that was taken from the Marina del Rey Sea Scouts in March.
The 30-foot 1979 Islander boat named Island Hopper was taken from its dock in the 13600 block of Mindanao Way sometime before 9:15 a.m. on March 17, when deputies said they were called for reports of a stolen vessel. Upon arrival, deputies were unable to locate the boat or a suspect and their search began, according to a news release shared on Friday.
At the time, a spokesperson for Sea Scouts, which is a part of Scouting America, said that the boat was replaced with a vessel in much worse condition and that they thought it was moved to another marina in Southern California or possibly Catalina Island.
They said that the alleged thief, who still hasn't been publicly identified by authorities, removed the Island Hopper's CF numbers, which are vessel registration numbers used in California, and swapped them onto the "junker boat" that was left behind.
LASD officials said that on Monday, June 22, they were contacted by a community member who had recovered the stolen sailboat in the Marina Harbor. The suspect, a 41-year-old man, was located the next day and arrested for being in possession of the stolen property and possession of narcotics for sale, deputies said. They also noted that additional property, which they also believed was stolen, had been recovered.
"Thank you to the Marina Del Rey community for their continued support and for helping us keep everyone safe," deputies said.
As their investigation continues, LASD officials asked anyone with more information regarding the investigation to contact the Marina Del Rey Station at 310-482-6000.
