A Victoria man who made headlines after being rescued from a stolen boat that was sinking off Oregon has been charged with a misdemeanour in connection with another incident.
KOMO News reports that Jericho Wolf Labonte was charged with criminal mischief in the third degree on Tuesday. He is accused of leaving a dead fish on the porch of a house in Astoria, Oregon, in February. The property, a landmark in the town, was featured in the 1980s film The Goonies.
The offence is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and fines of $1,250 US.
At the time, Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly said a video posted online showed a man as he put the fish on the porch, covered the security cameras with stickers, then danced around the property and the property next door, “just acting really odd.”
Two days after the fish incident, Labonte was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Oregon.
Authorities received a mayday call from a yacht floundering in the surf. As rescue crews neared the vessel, it was struck by a 10-metre wave, causing the boat to roll over and throwing Labonte into the rough water.
He was pulled to safety and flown to Coast Guard Base Astoria and taken to hospital.
The yacht had been stolen, and police in Astoria recognized Labonte as the man from the fish video.
Labonte is being tried separately for the boat incident. He has been charged with first-degree theft, second-degree criminal mischief, unauthorized use of a vehicle and reckless endangering of another person in connection with that incident, KOMO reported.
Authorities have previously said that Labonte was in the U.S. illegally.
The Oregon incidents came less than a month after Victoria police issued a public alert for Labonte, who was wanted B.C.-wide on charges of criminal harassment, mischief and three breaches.
A spokesperson with the Astoria Police Department told CHEK News that Labonte is now in the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
— With files from Louise Dickson
