Police say the recent theft of a plane and boat may or may not be related to the string of burglaries in Eastsound that occurred in early September.
“There are a number of factors that suggest this may be the work of the same person or persons,” Sheriff Bill Cumming said. “But each investigation will have to stand on its own until completed.”
According to Cumming, an experimental plane was taken from the runway in Friday Harbor on Sept. 4. The thief, or thieves, abandoned the aircraft at Port of Orcas after a hard landing. Deputies discovered the plane later that night.
The aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear, suggesting that it was a hard landing. The Sheriff’s office assumes the thief to be someone with at least some knowledge of operating a plane, but may not have the skills normally associated with a pilot because landing is the most difficult skill.
Port of Orcas manager Bea vonTobel said the plane was a brand new Cirrus CR20, and it left behind a few pieces and broke a taxiway light. The airplane, which is one of a kind, is registered to an owner in Friday Harbor.
On Sept. 13, Island Market manager Jason Linnes had his boat stolen, just six days after his store was broken into.
“I can’t say how bad it made me feel,” he said. “It makes you nervous about everything. It’s kind of scary. You start thinking of it as a personal attack.”
Island Market sustained $25,000 worth of damage when it was burglarized on Sept. 7. A pallet driver was used to bash in the ATM, and six interior doors were damaged in what appeared to be an attempt to locate security cameras. On Sept. 13, his 28-foot Cruisers yacht was stolen from Brandt’s Landing.
“It was taken to Point Roberts, where it was abandoned,” Linnes said. “A good samaritan put it on a mooring buoy, and the Coast Guard brought it home to me that afternoon.”
As an exclave of the United States, Point Roberts is completely surrounded by the water of Boundary Bay and the border crossing to Canada.
Linnes says there were prints all over the boat, but the thief was wearing rubber gloves.
“We’re looking at all those incidents as part of being continuing acts by the same person or persons,” Cumming said. “Our activities have been such that we’re attempting to have as much coverage as possible given our limited resources.”
Cumming said it is possible that deputies have had contact with a person that may have been the suspect they have been looking for in relation to the string of recent Eastsound burglaries.
“That person ran from us,” Cumming said.
Crime in Deer Harbor
The San Juan County Sheriff’s office reported $400 in security equipment was stolen Aug. 22 from Deer Harbor Resort following an after-hours break-in. The thief gained entry into the office through a south-facing window as well as through a window on the dock-side of the store.
Jeremy Trumble of The Inn on Orcas Island on Channel Road said a computer valued at $1,200 and containing reservation info was stolen from the inn in late August. The thief had to climb a balcony to gain entry to the house, where the computer was sitting.
