Vermont Man Allegedly Stole a $1.2 Million USD Yacht and Took It on a Joy Ride
He reportedly told the court that he was “water testing the boat” after making fixes.
A 48-foot Jeanneau Prestige 500 yacht named “Volans” was stolen from a marina in New York on June 21, according to local CBS-affiliate WCAX. A day later, police arrested a Vermont man who was discovered driving the boat on Lake Champlain by a surveilling helicopter after having crossed state lines with it.
The alleged boatnapper, 56-year-old Robert Morris of upstate New York, was taken into custody by officers of the St. Albans Police Department on Burton Island, according to WCAX. He currently faces charges of possession of stolen property and operating without the owner’s consent, and an investigation into a theft charge is ongoing, the outlet said.
Morris was a wanted fugitive in that state of New Hampshire and has a list of prior arrests, WCAX said. The Vermont newspaper also reported that Morris interrupted his court arraignment to tell the judge that “he was water testing the boat after making mechanical fixes.” Morris also claimed that he was “driving the boat to Montreal to return the boat” to its owner, but was heading north, rather than south, when found by police.
In other transportation news, Honda debuted its 2022 Civic Hatchback.
