Latest news with #WDFWPolice
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man Pretending to Be Captain Arrested After Stealing $8-Million Fishing Boat with the Crew Still Aboard
A Washington man was arrested earlier this month after he allegedly stole an 80-foot commercial fishing boat with the crew still on board and tried heading out to sea. Authorities with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife say the 42-year-old suspect, identified in local news outlets as Joshua Stedman, had gotten onto the $8-million boat by pretending he was the captain. He was able to convince the crew to leave the dock — at least for a short while. Stedman, who remains in jail, reportedly boarded the 80-foot vessel, the Jamie Marie, around 9 a.m. on Feb. 8. The boat was docked in Westport, a popular commercial fishing port at the southern end of the Olympic Peninsula. He immediately woke the crew and told them they needed to get underway. 'The newer crew did not know the captain, but didn't argue, thinking he was an alternate operator, or someone sent by the real Captain,' WDFW Police wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday. 'He surely acted the part as he knew how to start and operate the large vessel.' Stedman's charade didn't last long, however, as he started saying some questionable things that made the crew suspicious. '[He] was talking about meeting the 'Chinese Mothership' and was not making sense,' WDFW Police wrote. 'He certainly was not describing fishing activity.' Authorities say the boat was on its way out of the harbor and about to head into the open ocean when one of the crew members finally called the real captain and realized they'd been tricked. The 'imposter skipper' then turned the ship around and brought it back to port around 9:30 a.m. Two WGFW sergeants were waiting for Stedman back at the dock, where he was arrested by officers with the Westport Police Department. He was found in possession of $4,000 in cash, along with a large amount of marijuana that was already weighed and packaged individually for sale. Authorities also learned that Stedman had boarded another commercial boat in Westport earlier that morning but had been run off by the crew. They didn't report the incident until later, when they heard about what happened aboard the Jamie Marie. Read Next: Facebook Strangers Help an Indiana Man Recover His Stolen Fishing Boat Stedman was booked in the Grays Harbor County Jail on charges of theft, possession of stolen property, vehicle prowl, and additional drug charges. He is currently being held there on $250,000 bail, according to KOIN News.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Washington man arrested for stealing $8M fishing boat with crew still on board, officials say
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 42-year-old man from Aberdeen, Wash. is being held on $250,000 bail, after he allegedly stole an 80-foot, $8 million commercial fishing boat out of Westport on Feb. 8 with the crew still on board. Suspect Joshua Stedman boarded the Jamie Marie around 9 a.m. and temporarily convinced the crew that he was the boat's new captain, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police said. 'A subject had boarded the vessel, woke the crew and advised them they needed to get underway,' the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police wrote on social media. 'The newer crew did not know the captain, but didn't argue, thinking he was an alternate operator, or someone sent by the real captain. He surely acted the part as he knew how to start and operate the large vessel.' Floating shanty visible from I-205 removed from the Columbia River After a short while, the crew grew suspicious of Stedman's behavior and called the boat's actual captain from the bridge. After speaking with the captain, they determined they were on a stolen boat. 'As the vessel transited further out and onto the Grays Harbor bar about to cross into the ocean, the crew finally figured out something was wrong,' WDFD wrote. 'The subject driving the boat was talking about meeting the 'Chinese Mothership' and was not making sense. He certainly was not describing fishing activity.' Logo featured in Pixar, Disney+ series appears to resemble Portland Pickles WDFW Police and the Westport Police Department responded to the scene and Stedman returned the boat to the harbor at about 9:30 a.m.. Upon his arrest, Stedman was found in possession of $4,000 in cash and a 'large quantity of individually weighed and packaged marijuana,' WDFD Police said. Westport Police arrested Stedman and brought him to the Gray Harbor County Jail. Stedman was charged with theft, vehicle prowling, possession of stolen property and illegal drug possession. 'As the investigation played out, it was learned the same subject boarded another large vessel in the early morning hours and managed to start the main engines and was attempting to rally the crew for a trip to sea,' WDFW Police said. 'They ran him off the boat but did not report the activity until the current theft was playing out and the information was circling Westport.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
