Blatant theft at the White Salmon Sandbar

moondog · Since 15 Aug 2007 706 Posts white salmon Addicted **CGKA Member**

I came in from a session this afternoon around 3 and saw 3 fishermen in a boat pull up to the sandbar next to the fishing bench. One jumps out and runs past me and yells " how much are those boards worth?" There are a couple of boards on the sand and one kite blown up, but I am the only one on the beach. He runs to the west end of the bar and picks up a board. I run after him and tell him to see if there is a phone number on it. I see a Minnesota number starting with 612 and tell him I will take the board and call this fellow kiter.
He says "oh no I have salvage rights! I'm gonna get a hundred bucks from this guy"! Needless to say, I become very agitated and tell him to be honest and whats to keep you guys from doing this every day. He says it floated by them so they have salvage rights. I presume he is telling the truth about it floating by them, what bothers me is how they feel like it is theirs when it floats up to shore where there are other kiters. I know nothing about salvage rights, but I know the difference from right and wrong, this was wrong!
I confronted all 3 of them as they were pushing their boat off the sand and told them this incident will not help the reputation of fishermen in the area. They called me a "dickhead" and motored off.
So if someone has a missing twin-tip, might have been a Best, and it had a 612 phone number on it, expect a call from a fisherman tonight. You might consider having the authorities with you when you do the exchange. Good Luck!

forrest · Wed Aug 01, 12 3:56 pm

I saw them motor up to the sandbar as well. I would have memorized their boat information and called the police. I saw the Sheriff's boat in the area as well.

forrest · Wed Aug 01, 12 3:58 pm

BTW, they don't have salvage rights, that's clearly obvious as the board is not a vessel. Also, there is no "finders/keepers" in found property. It's the owners property, always.

Pepi · Wed Aug 01, 12 4:07 pm

KEEPING GEAR YOU FOUND ON THE RIVER IS ILLEGAL AND CAN RESULT IN CRIMINAL CHARGES. THIS IS CONSIDERED ABOUT THE SAME AS TAKING SOMEONE'S CAR FROM A PARKING LOT JUST BECAUSE THEY LEFT IT THERE.

Legally, they have no salvage rights unless they fill out a found report to the County Sheriffs office, then they must advertise the gear as found in the local paper for a minimum of 60 days. Once they have done this and proven they have done so with a copy of the 'found' advertisement listing, they then obtain ownership of the found item.

Otherwise, if it has your name on it and they attempt to bribe you or refuse returning it to your possession, they can face criminal charges for theft or mis-possession of private property.
IF ANYONE ATTEMPTS TO BRIBE YOU TO RETURN YOUR PERSONAL PRIVATE POSSESSIONS TAKE A PHOTO OF THEIR DRIVERS LICENSE, DOCUMENT THEIR COMMUNICATIONS, AND TAKE PHOTOS OF THE INDIVIDUALS.
DON'T LET ANYONE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU!!!!!

The Hood River County Sheriffs office is very serious and strict about this, and so should everyone else be about this.

I have recently learned of a situation that has been occurring with fishermen at the White Salmon river accumulating a pretty decent number of boards that they have been taking, keeping and trying to sell to people who come by their camping areas.
I'm going to try bringing this up as a possible topic that the CGKA could possibly discuss with the Intertribal Agency and the local Sheriffs office, as this really sucks for the reputation of Hood River as a destination location for kiteboarders and windsurfers.

jackZ · Since 13 Apr 2008 355 Posts Devon Alberta ca. Obsessed

Hi Moondog ,
This kind of thing is ugly . Twisted Evil

He had his Pirate pals , his gang of low life's . All they would understand is physical violence . Fire the Cannons and sink his Pirate Ship . Arrrrrr ya scurvy dogs , to the bottom with ya .
OR has the economy forced people to this type of activity to earn a living ? I think not .
Most people are decent and would have left it alone or made effort to return it , thankfully so .
Some people though , Eh ?!
JackZ

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1530 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

how abouts more info on the fishermen. It does matter to type of boat- open sled, manufacturer most are on the side. inboard or outboard! washington or oregon numbers- would be on the side up front etc. Fishermen- old/young- etc. Help us by giving more info so people can watch for them and follow this up!!!

moondog · Wed Aug 01, 12 5:15 pm

Three white guys in their 40's-50's, outboard, no roof on the boat, I tried to memorize the boat license, but only remember WN or WA, I was too agitated plus my memory is only good for 200 yards!

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1861 Posts XTreme Poster

Pretty upsetting behavior. John, if you PM me i'll give you Deputy Mike Anderson's contact information. This is not behavior he will appreciate

Eric

unbob · Since 31 Aug 2008 260 Posts 'da Gorge/LaV Obsessed

These guys are total sleazebags! I agree with the prior advice - when the owner is contacted by these low-lifes, make sure the authorities are "on-site" when the exchange is made and nail these guys.

I have a buddy who is currently injured and unable to kite or sail. He has a good SLR camera that could get close-up shots of any perp stealing someone's board. Hopefully, I can convince him to spend some time near the WS sandbar and catch these guys in the act.

I say no mercy for these scumbags.

flipper · Since 17 Oct 2011 320 Posts Obsessed

Push them out of their boat and then salvage their ride. Smile

chrissmack · Since 08 Jun 2005 526 Posts portland Addicted

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

Chris, did you draw that, or was it Milo? Laughing

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1530 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

that is awesome- someone is a cad major:-)

OG · Since 07 Jun 2011 597 Posts Addicted

those shorts make your ass look big dude

Dern · Since 11 Jul 2010 545 Posts Vancouver, WA Addicted

That's a very large box.

Blazeheliski · Since 30 Mar 2011 659 Posts Mosier Addicted

That picture kinda reminds me of the Acme Rape Trap freatured in this Tosh .0 video clip.............

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/01/tosh-0-rapist-trap-skit-clowns-on-ben-roethlisberger-video/

Tjdunklee · Since 02 May 2011 5 Posts Kook

Thank you for the post about the lost board. You were right, there are a few Minnesota riders out there on vacation and it is one of their boards. I posted this thread on our local forum and the rider confirmed he is missing his board. He hasn't heard from the fisherman yet, so if anybody has any more info please give him a call. His name is Jim and his cell phone # is 612 619 8603. Thanks!