Jericho Wolf Labonte, 35, of Victoria, British Columbia, was taken into custody in the northwestern Oregon resort town of Seaside in what Oregon police called a series of “really odd” events along the Pacific Northwest coast spanning 48 hours that concluded Friday night with the arrest of a Canadian man.
It all started Wednesday when the suspect, later identified as Labonte, posted a video on social media of himself leaving a dead fish on the porch of the house featured in the 1985 movie “The Goonies, “and then started dancing around the property. The Victorian home was sold to a film fan for $1.7 million.
It all started Wednesday when the suspect, later identified as Labonte, posted a video on social media of himself leaving a dead fish on the porch of the house featured in the 1985 movie “The Goonies, “and then started dancing around the property. The Victorian home was recently sold to a film fan for $1.7 million.
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The next event in the story was a 35-foot motor yacht reported stolen on Friday morning. Later that afternoon, the stolen yacht was seen in deep trouble as it was caught on video at the mouth of the Columbia River, the largest North American river flowing into the Pacific Ocean, which is known as “the graveyard of the Pacific” for its notoriously rough seas.
The yacht seemed to be without power, or Labonte had no idea how to pilot a boat of that size.
The Coast Guard shared a stunning video of Labonte’s rescue from the troubled ship by Petty Officer 1st Class Branch Walton, a newly minted rescue swimmer from Greenville, South Carolina.
The 35-foot (11-meter) yacht had been reported stolen by its owner Friday afternoon. As the swimmer approached, a large wave slammed into the vessel, rolling it over and throwing a man, later identified as Labonte, into the water. The rescue swimmer took the wave head-on, got under it, and emerged to grab the suspect, according to the video and Coast Guard statements. The helicopter crew hoisted the two up to safety, the agency said.
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I'm reading more about the rescue, and that's only half the story.
The boat was actually stolen & the captain was wanted by police for leaving a dead fish on the porch of the house from the 1985 movie "The Goonies."
Can't make this stuff up — but great work by the Coast Guard. pic.twitter.com/VMrScJ3iXG
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) February 4, 2023
Labonte was pulled out of the water, rescued by the Coast Guard swimmer, and then briefly hospitalized for mild hypothermia.
Labonte was discharged from the hospital before police in nearby Astoria, Oregon, saw the rescue video and said they recognized him as the same person who covered over security cameras at the “Goonies” house and left the dead fish on the porch.
Later in the day, police were informed by the Port of Astoria security chief that the vessel from the rescue had been stolen from the port. Several residents also called to say they recognized the man rescued as Labonte, police said.
Then, police in Seaside, about 17 miles south of Astoria, said they found Labonte on Friday evening at a homeless shelter where he was staying “under an alias” and arrested him on charges of theft, criminal mischief, endangering another person, and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
He’s also wanted in Canada for “other cases,” Seaside police said.
“It’s been a really odd 48 hours,” Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly said Friday.
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