A 42-year-old man from Washington state was arrested after crew on board the Jamie Marie reported the vessel had been stolen — with them still on board. The suspect climbed aboard the $8 million, 80-foot commercial fishing vessel around 9 a.m. on Feb. 8, waking the crew from their slumber and advising them that they needed to get underway. The suspect’s orders worked, with the newer crew on board assuming he was an alternate operator sent by the real captain, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police (WDFWPolice). The suspect’s actions didn’t raise any alarms within the crew at first, as the subject knew how to start and operate the large vessel. As the Jamie Marie began to travel onto the Grays Harbor bar and cross into the ocean, the crew began to question the legitimacy of the new “captain.” Instead of planning the crew’s fishing for the day, the suspect began speaking about meeting the “Chinese Mothership” and was not making sense, according to WDFWPolice. “A call to the real captain from the bridge revealed the subject driving the boat had no reason to be on the boat, let alone be operating it and had in fact, stolen the vessel with the crew on board,” the WDFWPolice stated. The suspect eventually brought the Jamie Marie back to port and was met Sgt. Alexander and Sgt. Mathews with the Westport Police Department where he was taken into custody. The investigation into the fake captain found that he had $4,000 cash and a large quantity of individually weighed and packaged marijuana, according to WDFWPolice. Their investigation also found that the suspect boarded another vessel, started that vessel’s main engines, and attempted to rally the crew for a trip to sea before the crew ran him off the boat. That crew did not report the activity until the actual theft played out. The suspect was booked by the Westport Police Department into jail for Theft 1, Possession of Stolen Property 1, vehicle prowl 1, and VUCSA manufacture/delivery, according to WDFWPolice. Images via WDFWPolice.