Thieves strip Naples man’s boat of $3,500 worth of items

Reporter: Jennifer Jones
Published: Updated:

NAPLES, Fla.- A man says thieves stripped his boat, stealing the motor, fishing poles and tackle before untying it and and leaving it afloat in the Naples Bay.

“Sick of it. Very sick of it,” said Robert Theurer, who says his boat is his only means of transportation. When he went to use it on Wednesday, he says it was missing.

“I just got off of work and I came down to hop in my boat to do a little fishing, I stepped on the dock, and it’d be like walking out on your driveway in the morning going to work and your cars gone.”

Theurer says his boat was found stripped of $3,500 worth of items.

“They found it probably about a mile and a half up the creek under some mangroves along with another boat that had been stolen.”

He’s now calling on law enforcement to step up patrols in the area.

“Instead of coming down the creek and stopping at Royal Harbor, why don’t you come all the way down to the bridge. And don’t do it during the day, patrol this area between midnight and 4 a.m.”

Last month, boaters reported similar thefts in the Royal Harbor community, where thieves stole motor parts off of several boats. Law enforcement officials have not said if any of the thefts are related.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.