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Two more high-end, go-fast boats stolen in Collier
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Two more nights, two more empty boat lifts.
For the second time in about a month, a go-fast boat was stolen from a Marco Island boat lift. The next night, another large vessel disappeared from behind a Naples home, also the second in a month.
“If it holds true, and according to the Coast Guard, all these boats that are being stolen are being used for human smuggling,” said Lt. Rob Bock of the Naples police department.
The Marco Island boat, a 38-foot Fountain console sport fishing boat, was stolen sometime between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Wednesday, Marco Island police reported. The boat was stolen from the southern part of the island.
The thieves took steps to conceal themselves, and approached the $250,000 boat from the land, Marco Island police Lt. Dave Baer said.
In late December, a 31-foot Pursuit sport fishing boat was taken from behind a home on the eastern portion of the island, authorities said. It was later recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard in international waters.
“These last two boats were worth $600,000 together, and that’s just Marco Island,” Baer said. “That’s a ton of money.”
Sometime between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 1:30 p.m. Thursday, a 35-foot Everglades boat with three engines was stolen from behind Harold Bond’s home at 2515 Windward Way. Bond’s boat is worth about $320,000, Bock said.
On Jan. 14, a 38-foot 2005 Tournament Edition was stolen from behind a home on Mermaids Bight, Naples police said.
“The last one they were actually in a pursuit with,” Bock said of the Coast Guard. “I guess it got into Cuban waters and they weren’t allowed to chase it into Cuban waters.’’
At least eight high-end boats have been stolen from Naples docks since June.
Both Bock and Baer said police are doing their best to protect people’s boats and patrol local waters.
“We have three boats that patrol in Naples and we vary their hours all the time,” Bock said. “I can tell you there has been increased patrol, especially during the night time.”
Police are asking boat owners to take precautions, such as: moving the boat lift’s electrical power shut-off switch inside the house, securing the boat to the lift, installing an alarm system on the dock, installing a GPS enabled alarm system on the boat, installing a covert fuel shut-off switch, and installing exterior lighting that shines on the boat and dock.
“This is really the first year that we’ve experience this many thefts,” Bock said. “It’s like anything else, people need to adjust.”

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