Vallejo Man Surprises Would-Be Boat Thieves
VALLEJO (BCN) -- A man who ran into trouble while boating near Mare Island on Friday had another adventure Saturday morning when he went to pick up his boat and found two men trying to steal it, Vallejo police said.
Police Sgt. Herman Robinson said the man, identified as Charlie Talbott, ran into some problems in his Boston Whaler on Friday afternoon and ended up leaving the vessel anchored in the water near the marina overnight.
When he returned to pick up the boat at about 8 a.m. Saturday, he found two men loading the boat onto a trailer, Robinson said.
"My friend saw them trying to steal the boat and I guess he scared them off," Talbott said.
Later that morning, near Lemon and Derr streets, Talbott spotted the suspects' van that his friend had described as the vehicle that was trying to tow away the boat, Talbott said.
"The van was parked outside some kind of scrap yard," he said.
The two suspects had apparently arrived after Talbott called the police to say he found the van. The men then admitted to the theft, according to Talbott.
Officers arrested the pair at that location, and Robinson identified them as Patrick Buckley, 57, of Vallejo, and Stacy Francis, 46, of Redwood City.
They were in possession of electronic goods that had been stolen from the boat, Robinson said. More than $3,000 worth of belongings, including a stereo and GPS unit, were taken, Talbott said.
"If I was to buy a new boat like mine, it would cost me more than $20,000," Talbott said.
Both were booked into Solano County Jail.
Robinson said he didn't have details about the problems Talbott encountered while boating on Friday, but the U.S. Coast Guard reported responding to a rescue near Mare Island at about 1:45 p.m. Friday.
Coast Guard search and rescue controller Danielle Couture said two men, believed to be Vallejo residents, were on a 17-foot Boston Whaler just south of Mare Island when they fell into the water.
Another boater saw the accident and alerted the Coast Guard, then pulled the men out of the water, Couture said.
Couture said she didn't know what had caused the pair to fall into the water. She said the men were shaken up but otherwise OK.
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