Bellingham Coast Guard boat aids arrest of Canadian on boat reported as stolen
A Coast Guard Station Bellingham boat crew and shipriders from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested a man aboard a stolen Canadian sailboat on May 4 near the U.S.-Canadian maritime border, according to a Friday, June 3, news release from the U.S. Coast Guard 13th District.
Thomas Richard Cudworth has been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and is scheduled to appear in provincial Court in Victoria, B.C., on June 15, according to a Thursday, June 2, news release from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The members of the cross-border effort were on patrol when they encountered a 26-foot white-and-blue sailboat near the U.S.-Canadian maritime border west of Stuart Island, according to a news release from the Canadian police. “It appeared that the vessel had no power because the two male individuals aboard were rowing,” according to the Coast Guard news release.
During discussions with the crew, the sailboat and Coast Guard vessel drifted into U.S. waters and into a shipping lane, according to the Canadian agency.
The men aboard said they were out of fuel and the Coast Guard offered to tow the sailboat to a U.S. port, “but the personnel decided to return to Canadian water by sail power.”
Neither of the men was the registered owner of the sailboat, according to the news release. Canadian police records showed one man was wanted in British Columbia on an outstanding warrant and the other man had a legal condition to not board any vessel he does not own or possess, the release stated.
“After the sailboat returned to Canadian water, the shiprider crew boarded the sailboat and arrested the man on his outstanding warrants. The Coast Guard crew members and shipriders later transferred the man to Sidney RCMP Detachment for processing while police attempt to locate the owner,” the release stated.
Investigators later learned from the owner that the boat had been stolen from its mooring in Cadboro Bay, near Victoria, B.C., according the Canadian police. A shiprider crew found the boat sailing eastward, south of Pender Island, and the man from the previous day was allegedly found at the helm and was arrested. “During a search of the stolen vessel, police located tools and an inflatable runabout that were also alleged to be stolen. With assistance from the BC RCMP West Coast Marine Services, the sailboat and other property was recovered and secured,” according to the news release.
“This arrest highlights the importance of the steadfast partnership that Sector Puget Sound maintains with RCMP through the Shiprider program in order to ensure an effective presence and combat illicit cross-border activity,” said Capt. Patrick Hilbert, commander, Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, said in the news release.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 12:45 PM.
