Staff with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office have solved the case of an abandoned boat that had been dumped on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Sergeant Brad O’Dell said deputies initially learned about the boat, a 1979 24-foot Reinell cabin cruiser named Red Rover II, on October 5th and began an investigation. The boat had not been registered with the Oregon State Marine Board since 2008.
Last Tuesday October 15th, a photograph of the boat and a request for assistance from the public was posted on the DCSO Facebook and Instagram pages. O’Dell said the Sheriff’s Office later received information which led them to contact 38-year old Ryan Powers of Reedsport and 46-year old Michael Saben of Winston. O’Dell said both admitted to finding the boat abandoned on Paradise Creek and moving the boat to the location where it was found. They also admitted to taking the trailer that the boat had been on.
Both men were booked and released at the Douglas County Jail on a charge of depositing trash within 1,000 feet of a waterway, which is a Class B Misdemeanor.
O’Dell said deputies are still interested in determining who was last in possession of the boat and left it abandoned on Paradise Creek. Anyone with information is asked to call DCSO.