Stolen boat now back in Santa Barbara harbor after multiple arrests
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Social media posts and NewsChannel coverage are being credited with leads that led to the recovery of a stolen boat from the Santa Barbara harbor.
The special vessel is used by the nonprofit Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation. The vessel, called the 'Salty Pup', was used by the coaching staff to help young sailors.
Police said the boat was stolen early in the morning on June 12, when two suspects reportedly loaded it onto a boat trailer, covered it with a tarp and fled the area.
Officers said the harbor has extensive video surveillance which caught the crime on camera. Images were captured on cameras at the parking lot exit gate.
The Youth Sailing Foundation released several surveillance shots showing a person of interest in a white utility truck leaving the harbor with the stolen inflatable boat on a trailer behind it. They hoped the pictures would help the public and police find their boat.
After the images were shared on social media and local news, community members began reporting that they had seen the uniquely painted truck frequently in Lompoc.
Santa Barbara Police Detectives then shared the images with Lompoc police who spotted the suspect truck on the 1400 block of West North Street.
On Friday, June 25, Lompoc police and the lead Santa Barbara Police Detective contacted the suspected boat thief, identified as a 60-year-old transient man. After interviewing him, officers said they found the 'Salty Pup' had been stowed on the 500 block of South I Street in Lompoc. The man was arrested.
While police were still at the scene, a second transient man, 43, reportedly arrived to the area looking for the boat. That man was also arrested.
Police said both men are facing charges for grand theft and conspiracy to commit a crime. They were booked at the Lompoc Police Department Jail and released on promises to appear later in the evening. It is unclear what the motive for the theft was.
The vessel was found to be undamaged and was safely returned to the Youth Sailing Foundation.
Santa Barbara police would like to thank all community members and local news media who contributed to the successful recovery of the boat.
