Sinking 42-foot boat leaking diesel in Lemon Bay leads to Englewood man’s arrest

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. —

A man is in custody after the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says deputies found an abandoned vessel leaking diesel fuel into the water.

According to an arrest report, deputies found the boat May 1 while patrolling the waterway of Chadwick Cove. They say they saw the boat listing to the port side, actively leaking fuel into the waterway.

The boat was reportedly registered to 41-year-old Dylan Cates. Attempts to contact Cates were unsuccessful, according to deputies. After trying to contact Cates, deputies called the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the United States Coast Guard and the State Warning Point.

The report says the Coast Guard arrived May 2 and also saw the boat sinking into the water, and that attempts to find Cates were unsuccessful. The Coast Guard was unable to extract the boat itself by mechanical means. On May 8, deputies returned to the vessel and found the bow completely underwater with the port side taking on water.

On May 11, deputies managed to find Cates at his home in Englewood. He was arrested and taken to the Charlotte County Jail. He faces an abandoned and derelict vessel charge.

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