VICTORIA CLIPPER IV

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Sexx offender kept in jail after stealing ferry

A sex offender who stole the "Victoria Clipper IV" had his bail set at $200,000 as company officials reviewed security procedures to try to prevent trespassers from getting on board the vessels in the future. Samuel Kenneth McDonough was arrested by a SWAT team that boarded a "Victoria Clipper" seven hours after the ship was broken lose from its morings and drifted in Elliott Bay. He was jailed for investigation of burglary, reckless endangerment, malicious mischief, and an outstanding warrant for failure to register as a sex offender. On Dec 2 a King County judge set his bail and prosecutors have until Dec 4 to formally charge him. It wasn't known whether McDonough has an attorney of record who could comment on his behalf. In a probable cause statement released on Dec 1, McDonough told the police he did not know how to operate the vessel or its lights. The 480-ton boat had 1,300 gallons of diesel on board. The intruder apparently climbed through a gap over an 8-foot chain link fence to enter Pier 69, boarded the ship and started the engine. He untied a couple of ropes but broke or damaged two cleats to clear the dock, but did not have enough knowledge to handle the hand controls. After the ship was gone, the Coast Guard, and Seattle police and Port of Seattle police responded. Negotiators tried for hours to talk the man into surrendering, but eventually the SWAT team boarded the ferry. A bomb-sniffing dog checked the vessel before it was returned. The man had taken a laptop computer from the wheelhouse and perfume from an on-board duty-free shop. The company now was reviewing its security with the help of a maritime consultant and was also talking about the incident with the Coast Guard, Bryan said. Port of Seattle police were also investigating. Barbed wire has already been strung through the gap that the intruder crawled through. McDonough was convicted of indecent exposure in 2005, 2008 and 2012. He is on a GPS monitor, which is how many homeless sex offenders are tracked. He had been jailed for violating conditions and was released only on Nov 27 and outfitted with a new GPS device. Report with photo: http://www.adn.com/2013/12/02/3209372/judge-finds-cause-to-hold-suspect.html

Stolen ferry towed back to Seattle

On Dec 1, 2013, the Seattle Police and the U.S. Coast Guard were hunting for the "Victoria Clipper" which was reported adrift, with a suspicious person aboard. The Seattle Harbor Patrol units and the Seattle Police Bomb squad responded. The ferry was scheduled to depart from Pier 69 at 8 a.m. en route to Seattle. Clipper Tours reported that the "Victoria Clipper" was underway but that the captain and crew were not aboard. The ship had on board 1,300 gallons of fuel. The tug "Andrew Foss" was secured to the "Victoria Clipper" after the passenger ferry was discovered 300 yards out from Pier 69 on the Seattle waterfront around 7 a.m. and appeared to be adrift. the ropes that had secured the ferry to the dock had not been untied, and the starboard cleats had been torn from the deck. The tug crew then remarked a man aboard. Units from Seattle Police, the US Coast Guard and others responded to its call and negotiators made contact with the suspect. After some time a tactical team boarded the vessel and took the man in custody. It was Samuel K. McDonough, 33, a registered sex offender from Preston, King County, who apparently climbed a security fence and was suspected of illegally boarding the ferry and taking it out into Elliott Bay. The man had planned to take the boat to West Seattle. He was taken to the King County Jail while the ferry has been towed back to the dock. Police was investigating how the man was able to commandeer the ship. The ferry was not scheduled to be refueled. Indeed, the shop was supposed to be out of service for a day of routine repair. Report with photo: http://www.westseattleherald.com/2013/12/01/news/update2-victoria-clipper-cruise-boat-adrift-suspi http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022377087_stolenclipperxml.html?prmid=4939

Victoria Clipper IV stolen; SWAT team arrests suspect, who claimed he wanted to get to West Seattle

Seattle Police tweeted, “Report of a suspicious person aboard the otherwise unoccupied Victoria Clipper. Coast Guard has called in our Bomb Squad.” In addition to being unoccupied, the boat is also unmoored. It’s just off the downtown waterfront, but again, in case you noticed the activity from here, that’s what’s up. …The boat was discovered 300 yards out from Pier 69 on the Seattle waterfront around 7 AM, and it first appeared the Clipper ship was adrift. However, when a tugboat went to retrieve the boat, they discovered there was a man on board and contacted the Coast Guard and police. SPD’s SWAT, patrol and Arson Bomb Squad responded to Elliott Bay along with Port of Seattle police and US Coast Guard boat and helicopter teams. Police negotiators contacted the man on the ship and, eventually, a tactical team boarded the vessel and arrested the suspect. The man told police he had planned to take the boat to West Seattle. The suspect will be booked into the King County Jail for yet-to-be-determined charges (piracy or grand theft vessel) and the boat will be towed back to port.