4 of 7 stolen lifeguard stands found

Four of seven lifeguard stands stolen last week from Rehoboth Beach have been recovered.

Stolen sometime Thursday morning, the massive wooden stands – each more than 500 pounds – “were floated out to sea,” Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Kent Buckson told The News Journal.

With three remaining lost, he warned of “a serious marine hazard” for watercraft that could hit stands still bobbing in the ocean.

Lt. William L. Sullivan of the Rehoboth Beach Police Department, who agrees the remaining stands pose a severe safety risk, said the felony theft remains under active investigation. Anyone with information should call Detective Tyler Whitman at (302) 227-2577, he said.

Police are investigating the possibility that those involved in the incident may be connected with the U.S. Lifesaving Association Lifeguard Olympics hosted by the Rehoboth Beach Patrol, which drew competitors from throughout the region the day before the stands went missing, Sullivan said.

The stand loss is believed to be unprecedented. A few years ago, a group of men moved one, Sullivan said, “but there’s nowhere to put something that big.” The stands’ size made police immediately suspect they were dragged into the ocean, he said.

Buckson said patrol members found them removed from the beaches off seven southern streets: Brooklyn, Laurel, Hickman, Stockley, Norfolk, St. Lawrence and Prospect.

Capt. Butch Arbin of the Ocean City (Maryland) Beach Patrol offered to lend some chairs if the patrol needed them.

But luckily, Buckson said, the patrol – with 20 lifeguard stand locations – had exactly seven back-up stands left in storage in the city’s public works yard. “Within a couple of hours, we were able to put them out on the beach,” he added.

Almost imediately, he said, “we started to get phone calls and sightings from fishermen.”

Delaware and Maryland state police searched with aviation units, while crews from the U.S. Coast Guard at Indian River and Ocean City, Maryland, along with Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control searched by water, Buckson said.

Mark Sampson, who has a shark fishing business out of Ocean City, Maryland, managed to tow in one floating lifeguard stand to the West Ocean City Fishing Center, he said.

Coast Guard crews towed in two more, one to each station, he added.

Monday afternoon, the fourth was reported as having floated up on a private beach in the Cotton Patch community, he said, adding that arrangements are being made to retrieve them all.

So far, the stands are reported to be missing some paint, but otherwise undamaged.

“We’re hoping that once they get back to the city impound and they dry out, we should be able to put them back on the beach,” Buckson said.

If any chairs are found to be damaged, felony criminal mischief charges could be added to those of felony theft, Sullivan said, noting the chairs are worth a total of $5,600.

“This was not a prank,” Buckson said. “A prank is something funny and you know who did it.

“This created a hardship on our operation,” he said, adding that the organization has responsibility for public safety on the beach.

“It’s no different than stealing seven ambulances or slashing tires on seven police cars or letting the air out of seven school buses’ tires.”

Despite frustration and anger, he said, patrol members are staying focused on their task. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that all the chairs will be returned,” he said, adding patrol members’ spirits have been bolstered by support on social media.

When those responsible are arrested, Buckson added, “it’s going to be highly embarrassing for them and their families.”

Contact robin brown at (302) 324-2856 or rbrown@delawareonline.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @rbrowndelaware.