SPANISH FORT, Ala. — After the Alabama Legislature decided to get rid of state funding for state parks, including Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort, the park received even more bad news — which cost the park in excess of $5,000, estimated park ranger Josh Timmons.

Blakeley State Park was one of an estimated 50 victims of a suspected waterborne theft ring over the past year, according Alabama Marine Police, who launched the investigation May 24. In Mobile alone, 46 cases have been connected to the suspects. The thefts all occurred along the waterways of Mobile and Baldwin County.

“This investigation started back on May 24 when the marine police and Saraland detectives recovered some jet skis over in Saraland at Young’s Towing. The investigation has snowballed to include thefts from Spanish Fort, Dog River in Mobile, Rabbit Creek in Mobile…,” Lt. Alex Smith with the Alabama Marine Police said.

The investigation has involved multiple law enforcement agencies in both Mobile and Baldwin counties.

The investigation began after the Alabama Marine Police and the Saraland Police Department received tips on the location of two personal watercraft reported stolen.

“We have obtained evidence, developed suspects and the Baldwin County Sherriff’s Office and the marine police are working on a joint effort,” Smith said.

An unidentified victim found his stolen property at Young’s Towing on Shelton Beach Road in Saraland. When law enforcement investigated, additional stolen property was found at the business and at a home on Lynd Avenue in Prichard, which belonged to business owner Steven A. Young, 34, of Saraland.

The property recovered has been tied to multiple thefts in Mobile and Baldwin counties, including the theft of at least $4,000 of materials from Blakeley State Park’s “Delta Explorer” watercraft.

“We recovered the props, the cowlings, first-aid kits and some other items. It was a total of $4,000 stolen just from this one boat,” Smith said.

Timmons said the theft put the boat out of commission for two weeks, which hurt the park immensely.

“The park probably couldn’t survive without this boat. When the tour is booked, it is pretty much the major money maker. It is a major source of income for the park — bar none,” Timmons said.

The theft cost the park more than just equipment.

“The boat was out of commission for a solid two weeks. It took a lot of quick footwork to get it back in operating condition in those two weeks. We had to hunt down specialized P.A. equipment and power inverters, speakers; the cowlings had to be expedited to us; the propellers were all special-ordered for this boat because of the size and shape of the boat,” Timmons said.

While the boat was out of commission, two tours were cancelled.

“It was a big ordeal. It set us back quite a bit. Just in equipment replacement, this theft cost us $5,000. That doesn’t include the hours as far as salary and lost revenue. The two missed tours cost us over $1,700,” Timmons said.

Blakeley State Park is glad to be getting the property back, but Timmons said the property had already been replaced.

“It feels good to get it back, but we already replaced everything that was stolen. We have a good collection of backup items now,” Timmons said.

The suspects also stole from docked watercraft in Mobile, police said. The suspects were stealing anything they could carry off the boat, according to police.

“They were stealing everything, including, props, cawlings, toolkits, skis, rods and reels. They just ride up, jump on the pier at night and take whatever they can grab real quick and run with it. A $30,000 Kubota tractor was stolen from Spanish Fort, several Gator ATVs and several golf carts were all seized during this joint investigation,” Smith said.

Once evidence was found, warrants were issued for Young and Keith Colby Stockman, 20. Both were arrested on June 2 for three counts of property theft and one count of obscuring the identity of a vehicle.

Young turned himself in at the Baldwin County Jail on June 13 on charges of property theft and breaking and entering a vehicle. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, Stockman is still at large and in violation of his bond, police reported.

“Keith Colby Stockman — I have been looking for him all morning …. There is a third suspect that the Baldwin County Sherriff’s Office is in the process of obtaining warrants on,” Smith said.

An additional suspect has been identified in connection with the theft at Blakeley State Park, but the identity of the suspect has not been released because warrants are pending, as of publication. Smith said he expects at least six more warrants to be issued in connection with these thefts in the near future.

Smith offered advice to protect property along the waterfront.

“We have tried night patrols, but you can only be in a spot for so long and they (thieves) are there when you are not, It is really difficult to put an alarm because of the wave action. People have tried motion sensor lights but the birds set them off at night. It is real difficult. One of the biggest things is to record all of your serial numbers…,” Smith said.

Anyone with information regarding marine-related thefts should call the Alabama Marine Police at 1-888-903-8953.