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Thursday, September 2, 2010 |
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Sheriff: Some holding boats for ‘ransom’
Published June 16, 2010
SEGUIN — Sheriff Arnold Zwicke is investigating allegations that someone is illegally pulling boats from the river and attempting to “ransom” them back to their owners.
Zwicke made the revelation in Commissioner’s Court Tuesday, just days after going to news media to report his deputies would arrest on theft allegations anybody caught pulling boats, personal watercraft or other property out of the Guadalupe River.
Zwicke said many boats along with other property such as docks, boathouses and yard furniture were washed into the river in last week’s flood event, and his office is attempting to reunite some of the property with its rightful owners.
Now, Zwicke said, he’s receiving reports of someone calling boat owners to tell them their boat has been recovered — but setting exorbitant fees for the craft’s return.
“They’re being told it will cost $1,500 or $2,500 to get the boat back,” Zwicke said. “Some people’s property is being held for ransom.”
It is illegal to profit by dramatically jacking up prices for building materials, emergency equipment or services such as towing in a situation following a declared disaster.
The practice is called price gouging, and has been routinely investigated and prosecuted by the attorney general’s office.
Zwicke thinks other potential crimes could be involved as well — ranging from being in or on the river illegally in violation of a Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority safety order last week that closed the river to anyone who does not have a specific permit to be there to potential insurance fraud or other offenses.
Zwicke said he wants to hear about any incident where a boat owner is approached in this manner by someone who says he or she will return their property for a fee, and his office will investigate. To make a report, Zwicke said to call 830-379-1224 and ask to speak to an investigator.
The sheriff said he also wants to hear about anybody seen on the river, period.
“We want to warn people again that there is an ordinance that no one should be on the river,” Zwicke said. “It isn’t safe yet, and the only way you can be there is with a permit from GBRA.”
In addition, anyone who finds a boat or other property on their own land is asked to call to report it.
“We’re keeping a list, and we’ll try to get them back to their rightful owners,” Zwicke said.
Zwicke told residents of River Bend subdivision on Lake Dunlap that if they saw anybody on the water, particularly towing a boat or personal watercraft, to note their location, direction of travel and a registration or hull number if possible — and call the sheriff’s office.
“We want to hear about it, and we’ll come out to investigate,” Zwicke said. He noted, though, that his own employees would only be investigating from the banks of the river seeking to identify those involved, except in extreme cases or those that involve imminent danger for citizens or suspected perpetrators.
“It’s dangerous out there on the water right now,” Zwicke said. “I don’t want to put deputies’ lives at risk for some idiot who’s not even supposed to be on the river.”
County Judge Mike Wiggins said the county was fortunate that no one downstream of New Braunfels was killed or seriously injured in the flood. Emergency Management and Road & Bridge did a great job in the fast-moving flood and wind emergency a week ago, Wiggins said. Fed by a rain storm just upstream from New Braunfels in which 11.3 inches of rain fell in three hours, the river, which typically flows at 500 cubic feet-per-second, raged out of control at more than 100 times that velocity, raising water at Starcke Park by 29 feet and flooding more than 200 homes along the river in this county alone.
Wiggins also praised Zwicke’s employees and their response in a difficult situation.
“They carried out their duties and performed in an exemplary manner,” Wiggins told the sheriff, who was out-of-state assisting on an investigation. “They’re a credit to the county, to Sheriff Zwicke and to his agency.”
Zwicke thanked the judge.
“Unfortunately, on the river, we’ve had lots of practice,” Zwicke said.
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