Camas man arrested after yacht theft

A 20-year-old Camas man was arrested last week after allegedly stealing a boat from Parker’s Landing Marina.

At about 5:30 a.m., on Jan. 7, the man broke into the Washougal boat basin by jumping over a fence and stole a 36-foot cabin cruiser named “Jack Daniels.”

“He got in, went through the yacht, found the spare keys and basically stole it,” Port of Camas-Washougal chief executive officer David Ripp said. “We have security measures, but if a thief really wants to get in, they’ll get in.”

The man navigated the boat west on the Columbia River to the Ridgefield area, where he ran the yacht aground, according to Ripp. The man attempted to run and hide, but was arrested by Clark County sheriff’s deputies at about 4 p.m.

“He got down to Ridgefield and put the boat up on shore,” Ripp said. “He got off the boat and thought that’d he’d escape, but he was basically on an island, so he wasn’t going anywhere. A member of the Department of Fish and Wildlife spotted the boat and called in the Vancouver K9 unit, and the dogs found (the man).”

Ripp said that the Port is “always looking” to improve its security measures.

“We already had a meeting about adding brighter lights and motion sensors to each gate, so when somebody moves, the lights will kick on and they will be seen,” he said. “This guy didn’t care; he was getting in no matter what. We want to try to keep honest people honest. We’re looking for ways to make changes to detour people from trying to do what he did.”

Ripp said the boat has been returned and is undergoing repairs.