Man steals boat in Keys and lands in Cuba

Cops: Man steals boat in Keys and lands in Cuba
Suspect will be repatrated to face charges
KeysInfoNet

In a reverse of which direction boat traffic usually travels in the
Florida Straits, a man stole a vessel from the Keys and headed to, and
landed in, Cuba, authorities say.

Unlike Cuban migrants who make it to the Keys, Shawn Michael Luskey, 38,
will be repatriated to face a felony charge of vessel theft, says the
Monroe County Sheriff's Office. The agency didn't know where he is from.

Deputy Becky Herrin says Luskey was caught by Cuban border agents at
Havana Harbor at 5 p.m. Oct. 31. He reportedly was in white 13-foot
Boston Whaler that was stolen earlier from Murray Marine on Stock
Island. Photos of the vessel from Cuban authorities show the Florida
registration numbers on the stolen vessel, Herrin said.

She said the boat owner reported the vessel missing the day before
Luskey arrived in Cuba (the boat has a 40 horsepower engine); the owner
had left the keys in the ignition.

Surveillance video shows a man wearing a full wet suit at the marina at
10:42 p.m. Oct. 30. He's seen pulling on ice-cooler doors but they were
locked. He then walks off camera and a little bit later, the Boston
Whaler is seen leaving its slip, heading northeast.

Herrin said that on Nov. 2, a U.S. Coast Guard investigator contacted
Sheriff's Office Detective Sheila Seago, who had been assigned the case.
She was told the Coast Guard had received a message from the Cuban
Border Guard about the American's arrival.

When Luskey returns to the Keys, he'll be jailed on a $45,000 bond.

In September, Stephen Leonard, 40, of New York was charged with boat
theft for taking a 31-foot Yellowfin vessel from the Hurricane Hole
Marina, also on Stock Island, and possibly heading to Cuba. But he
didn't make it beyond waters close to South Roosevelt Boulevard in Key
West, where marine law enforcement officers — working from planes as
well as boats — caught him.

When authorities interviewed Leonard, he reportedly talked about going
to Cuba.

Source: Cops: Man steals boat in Keys and lands in Cuba | Miami Herald -
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