New Buffalo Police say that last Thursday a Yacht was taken from the New Buffalo Marina without the owner’s permission. An arrest was made in the case, a 37 year old man from Syracuse Indiana was lodged at the Berrien County Jail on initial charges of possession of stolen property.
A maintenance employee was servicing the vessel that morning when a subject came onto the vessel impersonating a relative of the owner, took possession of the boat, and powered off. The next day when the owners arrived their boat was missing, and they contacted police.
On June 12 the Michigan State Police were notified that the stolen vessel had been seen adrift and possibly grounded near the Bridgman, Lake Township border. Officers from the Michigan State Police and the Bridgman Police Department were able to take the subject into custody when he waded his way into shore from the Land Shark and was turned over to the New Buffalo Police for questioning. The boat was towed to a marina in St Joseph.
The suspect arrested was tied to other thefts in the area that day where he left his wallet and identification behind.