Seattle Ferry Theft By ‘Pirate’ Was a ‘Wake-Up Call’

Byline: Associated Press/Doug Esser

SEATTLE (AP) — A sex offender who authorities said managed to steal one of the boats used for Seattle-to-Canada ferry service 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.

“We were very, very fortunate this individual did not run into a state ferry or grain ship out by the grain terminal,” Clipper Vacations CEO Darrell Bryan said. “It was a hell of a wake-up call.”

Samuel Kenneth McDonough was arrested by a police team that boarded Victoria Clipper Dec. 1, seven hours after the ship motored away and drifted in Elliott Bay. McDonough, 33, was jailed for investigation of burglary, reckless endangerment, malicious mischief and an outstanding warrant for failure to register as a sex offender.

A King County judge set his bail Dec. 2. Two days later, prosecutors formally charged him with second-degree burglary, first-degree theft and first-degree malicious mischief.

In charging documents, Deputy Prosecutor Ian Ith wrote: “Apparently on a whim as a birthday present to himself, McDonough took control of an $8 million, 480-ton, 132-foot passenger cruise vessel and ripped it from the dock at the Seattle waterfront in the predawn darkness. … When contacted by police SWAT team officers while adrift in Elliott Bay, Mr. McDonough proclaimed himself a pirate, and said he had intended to flee the country to Victoria, B.C.”

In a probable cause statement released Dec. 2, McDonough told police he did not know how to operate the vessel or its lights.

Clipper vessels make daily runs from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria Clipper is popular with tourists, and it ferries about 300,000 passengers a year.

Many are wondering how the ferry, valued at $8 million, was pirated away in an incident that could have caused severe damage to other boats and the bay. The 480-ton boat had 1,300 gallons of diesel on board.

Bryan said the intruder apparently climbed through a gap over an 8-foot chain link fence to enter Pier 69.

The intruder somehow boarded one of three Clipper ships and started the engine on the 132-foot power catamaran. He untied a couple of ropes, but broke or damaged two cleats to clear the dock.

“We think the guy knew enough to get going, but not enough to handle the hand controls,” Bryan said.

Bryan had arrived early for a meeting with captains and noticed one of his ships drifting away. He called the Coast Guard — and Seattle police and Port of Seattle police also responded. Negotiators tried for hours to talk the man into surrendering, but eventually the police team boarded the ferry.

The man had taken a laptop computer from the wheelhouse and perfume from an on-board duty-free shop, Bryan said.

The company was reviewing its security measures 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.

“This should never have occurred,” he said. “He shouldn’t have been able to get into the wheelhouse. It’s supposed to be locked.”

McDonough was convicted of indecent exposure in 2005, 2008 and 2012, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Norah West said. 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 Nov. 27 and outfitted with a new GPS device.