Big-ticket thefts from high-end boats in late February in Anna Maria are leading law enforcement to look at a bigger picture.
Thieves have hit Anna Maria and Longboat Key in a wave of coastal pillaging from Sanibel to Clearwater, according to Longboat Key Detective Sgt. Robert Bourque and Manatee County and Anna Maria Island investigators who are watching the trends and comparing notes.
A 34-foot Jupiter boat in Anna Maria owned by Randy Houlas was one target — some $25,000 in global positioning equipment was stolen.
The GPS system with two monitors was unscrewed from the console on the boat at the dock in the 800 block of South Bay Boulevard.
Investigators believe Houlas’ boat and a nearby 52-foot Viking at Galati Yacht Sales were boarded by the same thieves sometime Feb. 22-24 under cover of night. Three stored GPS monitors valued at $22,500 were stolen from the Viking, according to MCSO reports.
Numerous outboard-motor thefts have been reported stolen in Manatee County since November, including a March 17 theft of a Yamaha 150 off a boat stored at H & H Marina, 12444 Cortez Road W., Cortez.
But as far as high-end boat equipment thefts, the two in Anna Maria constitute “the trend we’ve had recently,” according to MCSO public information officer Dave Bristow.
In the Anna Maria thefts, fingerprints are being processed, according to MCSO Detective Bruce Benjamin.
After Anna Maria, a boat docked at Cannons Marina, 6040 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, was hit overnight March 9, when a $12,400 monitor and auto pilot were stolen from a 39-foot 2013 YellowFin.
Fingerprint results are pending for the March 9 crime, Bourque said, adding LBKPD is investigating a “person of interest.”
A similar Longboat Key theft, a Garmin XPS from a 26-foot Jupiter boat in December 2015, brings the estimated boat-equipment loss on the two islands to roughly $70,000 in the past three months, he said.
The city of Sarasota and Sarasota County are reporting similar incidents, according to Bourque.
Law enforcement, including the U.S. Coast Guard, met about a month ago and Benjamin sends regular “be-on-alert” bulletins.
“Marine thefts happen every day, all over the state,” Benjamin said, adding there’s been a recent effort to make “our people aware of the similarities for future crimes.”
Boats and boat equipment are targets, according to Bourque.
Eleven boats — 30-feet or longer— have been stolen from Southwest Florida coastal areas in the past year, including a 2014 Grady-White from Outrigger Lane on Longboat Key in June 2015, he added.
A criminal ring may be responsible.
“We’re experiencing more criminal activity and suspect the origins of the criminals as South Florida,” Bourke said.
Houlas hopes Anna Maria begins a “neighborhood watch on the water,” adding thieves may be coming down the canals at night looking like local fishers or crabbers.
He spoke to Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy, Commissioner Carol Carter and MCSO-Anna Maria substation Sgt. Russell Schnering about his concerns.
Schnering — the new head of the substation and a boat captain — said he’s aware of the so-called “Go Fast Boats” ring out of the Miami-Hialeah area, but it’s “not really an MO” of the Anna Maria crimes.
Schnering said it’s not been determined if the thieves came by water or car.
“As far as I know, these are the only ones on the north end,” he said.
“I’m not convinced it’s local thieves,” he added.
Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach police detectives say no thefts have been reported in their jurisdictions, but they are monitoring the marinas. BBPD Detective Lenard Diaz indicated BBPD will be adding night surveillance patrols.
Law enforcement recommendations for boat storage safety include:
• Install and maintain surveillance cameras.
• Never leave keys in the boat.
• Make sure the boatlift breaker is off.
• Set an alarm on the boat before leaving.
• Equip the boat with a tracking device.
• Secure tackle boxes, computers and GPS equipment or remove them from the boat when not in use.
• Keep copies of receipts and serial numbers for boat gear.
Schnering also suggests people report suspicious activity, such as boats in the water at night without lights.
“If it’s not mullet season, there’s no reason for that,” he added.