Two people are accused of squatting on an anchored boat near Eldred's Marina. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office arrested Tristan Royer and Taylor Farrell for burglary.
Bobby Joe Weston said he received a troubling phone call from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies informed Weston that two squatters had broken into his boat, which was anchored at Eldred’s Marina near Boca Grande. Authorities say the couple forced open the cabin door and began living inside.
Weston said the couple trashed his boat.
"They left cigarette butts, lighters, clothes, toothbrushes, it's odd because I was just there a few days before working on the boat and they just moved in at random," Weston said. "They left kayaks, fishing poles, they pulled switches and fuel pumps out, they trashed it."
But the case against Royer doesn’t stop there.
Three weeks earlier, Gary Howle, a resident of Palm Island — a small barrier island near Englewood — had his boat and trailer stolen from beneath his carport. He thought it was gone for good.
“I thought I would never see it again,” Howle said.
Deputies later found Howle’s stolen motor hooked up to a boat Royer was operating. The discovery prompted further investigation.
“They used ATVs, they had a helicopter out — and four days later they had my boat and motor,” Howle said. “He said he bought the motor from someone. Is he a prime suspect for stealing my boat? Yes.”
While deputies were able to recover both the boat and motor, Howle’s trailer is still missing. Howle said investigators believe it may have sunk in the bay.
Howle is now hoping Royer will face charges for the theft of his boat as well.
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