MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A boat theft on Mud Island Sunday was anything but smooth sailing.
Around 6 a.m., the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency confirms that one of its unmarked boats was stolen from a gated area near Mud Island River Park.
A spokesperson for the Memphis River Parks Partnership, which manages the park, said he hadn’t heard about the theft until contacted by WREG.
The TWRA said the boat was locked to the trailer it was sitting on and that the thief used rope to tie the trailer to a dump truck which he then drove down Island Drive.
However, the plan quickly came unhitched. The TWRA said dump truck and boat didn’t even make it to the roundabout before the rope came undone and the thief took off.
An incident report indicates Memphis police responded to the theft, but MPD didn’t return emails asking if they had made any arrests.
A spokesperson for the city referred all questions to MPD.
It’s still unclear how the thief was able to gain access to the lot, which didn’t have any visible surveillance cameras Tuesday afternoon.
The boat, valued at $25,000, was returned to the TWRA with no damage.
