Alleged Victoria Clipper thief held on $200,000 bail
Dec 2, 2013, 3:11 PM | Updated: 3:57 pm
Bail has been set at $200,000 for the convicted sex offender accused of stealing the Victoria Clipper from the Seattle waterfront on Sunday.
Samuel Kenneth McDonough, 33, was arrested by a SWAT team that boarded a Victoria Clipper seven hours after it motored away and drifted in Elliott Bay.
McDonough was jailed for investigation of burglary, reckless endangerment, and malicious mischief.
McDonough told police that he was trying to get to Victoria, Canada when he jumped the fence where Victoria Clipper docks its vessels, went aboard the 120-foot Clipper IV and managed to turn it on.
Prosecutors sought $500,000 bail for the Preston man. He has numerous convictions for drug offenses, burglaries, and indecent exposure.
McDonough was wanted on a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender, police said. He was supposed to have a GPS monitoring device on him at the time but did not.
The company is reviewing its security with the help of a maritime consultant and also talking about the incident with the Coast Guard, Clipper Vacations CEO Darrell Bryan said.
KIRO Radio’s Brandi Kruse and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
