SARASOTA – After more than 30 boats had hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment stolen in the dead of night the FBI is stepping in to lend a helping hand in catching the criminals.
“It don’t take a brain surgeon to pull out some Garmin units or whatever,” said Captain Gabriel Lippert.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after deputies say someone broke into the Philippi Harbor Club stealing expensive equipment from boats such as GPS, radars and even music equipment. Deputies say someone or multiple people pried open a piece of siding on the marine building.
“They came in on the west side of the building and whenever they got in there they kinda could have a free for all,” said Capt. Lippert.
Deputies say the robbery was committed Saturday night with several of the equipment missing from boats stored near the ground. SNN spoke exclusively to Capt. Lippert, a former employee of the marina. Capt. Lippert says he stored his boat at the marina for 10 years and has no doubt it’s still a safe place for your boat.
“I’ve always felt safe – I’ve kept my boat outside countless times and felt safe,” said Capt Lippert. “I’ve never really thought twice about it really.”
Owner of Elite Marine Electronics Joseph McIntyre says regardless if your boat is safe in a marina you can always go the extra mile to ensure the safety of your vessel.
“There’s some simple steps you can take,” said McIntyre. “Many boat owners have equipment that is portable and removable from the boat, obviously you want to stow those items where they’re not in range of onlookers eyes.”
McIntyre says the next level would be to install cameras and motion detectors that will notify you if you have an unwanted visitor on-board.
“If your radar your chart plotter is stolen that’s multiple, multiple thousands of dollars easily,” said McIntyre. “The security system is such a small price compared to replacing all of your electronics in one shot.”
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help with any tip that may lead to an arrest. The Philippi Harbor Club is even offering a cash reward for any information.
Philippi Harbor employees were not immediately available for comment at this time. We’ll be sure to update you with the latest as soon as it becomes available.
