[Eternally Solo]

A guy stole a boat and drove it out to the mouth of the of the Columbia River ... it died.

[kellyhound]

A 35-year-old man who was rescued Friday morning by the U.S. Coast Guard after a stolen boat capsized in the Columbia River mouth was arrested Friday evening, according to Astoria police.

Jericho Labonte was arrested without incident at about 8 p.m. at the Seaside Warming Center, police said.

At about 1 p.m., the Coast Guard shared the dramatic rescue story on Twitter: they’d received a “Mayday” broadcast from a small boat floundering in the waves, near where two Coast Guard air crews were on a training mission.

The crews immediately notified authorities at Cape Disappointment, who launched rescue boats.

When the Coast Guard crews arrived, they realized the surf would make rescue by boat dangerous and decided to lower a rescue swimmer to meet Labonte in the water.

Meanwhile, for 22-year-old Third Class Petty Officer John Branch-Walton, this was his first water rescue mission.

”We got the mayday call in the classroom and played rock, paper, scissors for which swimmer got to go,” Branch-Walton said.

After being lowered into the waves, Branch-Walton swam for the boat. But before Labonte could join him in the water, a 30-foot wave crashed overhead.

”He kind of pointed and that’s when I saw the big wave and I didn’t think it was going to do what it did to the boat,” Branch-Walton said. “I realized at the point he was going to have to take a ride on the boat.”

Branch-Walton ducked under the surface, hoping to swim beneath towering wave.

“Um, which didn’t work too well,” Branch-Walton said.
As the wave flipped the boat over, rolling it in the surf, Branch-Walton said it felt like he was in a washing machine.

Labonte was dumped into the ocean, but when Branch-Walton surfaced again, he found Labonte and helped get him into the rescue helicopter.

“It was definitely an amazing experience and I’d like to do it again,” Branch-Walton said.

Meanwhile, the helicopter carried Labonte and the rescue crews to the Coast Guard base in Astoria where emergency medical responders were waiting to treat him.

Because authorities were not aware yet aware of his identity, Labonte was allowed to walk out of the hospital.

On Friday evening, Astoria police confirmed that the boat Labonte had been in was stolen, and that he was wanted by police in Victoria, B.C., as well as having been the man caught on security footage putting a fish on the porch of ‘The Goonies’ house.

Labonte was wanted on charges of Theft I, Endangering Another Person, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and Criminal Mischief II. Additionally, Labonte is a wanted fugitive out of British Columbia for Criminal Harassment, Mischief, and Failure to Comply With Officers.

As local law enforcement began to search for him, police said Canadian Border Control were on their way to assist with the search.

Police said he was arrested at 8 p.m. without incident at an Astoria warming center.

[Eternally Solo]

Thank you kellyhound

[WonderMomma]

I grew up in Puget Sound area of Tacoma, WA and heard about this particular area a lot. That area is known as the "Columbian Bar" aka "The Graveyard of the Pacific".

Notoriously dangerous area for vessels of all sizes and conditions can change drastically from one moment to the next. About 2000 large vessels have been lost in that area since the late 1700's.

There is a small staff of "bar pilots" that are staffed nearby specifically to guide vessels through even by boarding the ship themselves by helicopter.

That loon who took that boat out is NUTS for even attempting to go out in that shit.

[houseoftechno]

I hate all thieves. Stupid one who forgot to check the fuel level should be left as fish food.