'Boat Bandit' Arrested In String Of Boat Paraphernalia Thefts
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- For weeks, motors and other boat paraphernalia have vanished from Outboard Motor Shop in Oakland.
Off camera, the owner told KPIX 5 he is confident he caught the boat bandit on Wednesday.
He was driving along the Oakland Estuary when something out his driving side window caught his eye. It was a boat, and attached to it, a motor that looked an awful lot like the one he owned.
Police rushed in to arrest 42-year-old Thomas Waterman from Alameda for drugs and suspicion of stolen property.
Andrea Jones, a friend of Waterman, said he's a nice guy who makes money from recycling old boat parts. She thinks it's unlikely he stole the motors.
On Wednesday night, Waterman's boat sits moored in the Oakland Estuary as final charges are expected to be handed down by the district attorney.