Man accused of stealing airboat from Port Charlotte lot

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. —

A Sarasota man was arrested on Tuesday after being accused of stealing an airboat from Port Charlotte.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a report of a stolen vessel at around 12:42 p.m. on Monday.

Deputies spoke with the owner of the airboat, who showed them surveillance footage of the boat and the trailer it was on being stolen from the lot where it was being stored, CCSO said.

The trailer hitch had a master lock, which had been cut and tossed into a nearby lot, according to CCSO.

Deputies reviewed additional surveillance footage, which showed a white Ford pickup truck park near the victim's airboat multiple times over the course of two weeks, CCSO said.

Deputies reviewed surveillance footage from Sunday, Jan. 4, which showed the white truck backing up to the airboat, and then shortly after, leaving the lot with the victim's airboat and trailer attached to the truck, according to CCSO.

Deputies were able to identify the owner of the truck as Leonard Whitney Jaress Jr., 63, of Sarasota.

On Tuesday, deputies responded to Jaress' home in Sarasota, where they located the stolen airboat and trailer, according to CCSO.

Deputies questioned Jaress, who told them that he had driven past the victim's airboat multiple times and saw it had parts he was looking for, so he used bolt cutters to cut the lock off the trailer hitch portion, and proceeded to take the boat and trailer, CCSO said.

Jaress said he brought the airboat to his home and proceeded to remove two rudders, the exhaust pipes and the front brush rake. He said he knew he had made a mistake and immediately regretted stealing the boat, CCSO said.

Jaress was arrested and faces a charge of grand theft of a vessel/trailer.

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