Thieves steal jet skis, boat furniture

By Randy Hanson

Hudson's waterfront was plagued by theft recently.

On Friday, three jet skis and two trailers valued at close to $20,000 were reported stolen. The previous Tuesday, 50 white plastic chairs and eight plastic tables were stolen from the deck of the Grand Duchess tour boat.

"We're following up on that at this time. That's about all I can tell you," Hudson Police Sgt. Paul Larson said regarding the theft of the jet skis.

He said he didn't know if there is any connection between a group of juveniles cited for curfew violations in Lakefront Park and the theft of the boat furniture.

Larson said he had worked 20 hours on the jet ski investigation on Monday and Tuesday.

According to a police report, Jeff Anderson of Minneapolis saw a man at St. Croix Marina preparing to drive away with a friend's jet ski and trailer at about 5:30 p.m. Friday.

The man told Anderson he was thinking about buying the personal watercraft and was going to take it for a test run, the report says.

When Anderson found the owner of the jet ski, Rashell Bauer of Woodbury, Minn., she told him the $8,000 machine wasn't for sale. By that time, the thief had left.

He is described as a white male with blond hair, about 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds.

Later, Anderson found that his own two jet skis and trailer, valued at a total of $11,500, had been stolen, too, according to the report.

The chairs and tables are believed to have been stolen from the Grand Duchess, docked in Lakefront Park, sometime between midnight and 7 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24.

The chairs are valued at $13 each and the tables at $50 apiece.

Gordy Jarvis, owner of the Grand Duchess, told police he has also had other problems with theft and vandalism.

He said someone threw life jackets overboard earlier in the week, according to a police report. A citizen found the life jackets floating in the water and took them to Beanie's resort on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River, the report says.

Jarvis also reported that someone had defecated on the deck of the Grand Duchess.