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Stolen Sailboat Runs Aground In Pacifica Surf; 3 Arrested

PACIFICA (CBS SF) -- Three people aboard a stolen sailboat that ran aground in the surf in Pacifica Monday morning have been arrested, according to authorities.

The two men and one woman were aboard the 82-foot "Darling" when it got stuck near Linda Mar Beach at 5:18 a.m., North County Fire Authority spokesman Matt Lucett said.

The three suspects were identified as 63-year-old Leslie Gardner, 54-year-old Dario Mira and 56-year-old Lisa Modawell.

At least one of the suspects had a prosthetic leg.  Police also found a large amount of alcohol, and an empty pizza box on board the boat.

The three had to be removed after the boat ran aground and have been arrested for grand theft and conspiracy.

The vessel they were on was stolen Sunday night according to the boat's owner who said he has no connection to the suspects.

Pacifica Police Captain Joe Spanheimer said the suspects were not cooperative.

"In the end we had to drive our 4-wheel drive vehicle and communicate via our public address system," Spanheimer said.

After two hours the suspects were removed by rescuers on jet skis.

According to a state parks ranger they were initially worried the suspects may be armed. When they jumped off the boat it was determined they were not. He said the inside of the boat was a mess and was full of empty beer containers. One of the suspects has a prosthetic leg.

No injuries were reported, Gaines said. The Coast Guard dispatched a swimmer to supply the sailboat crew with a radio, she said.

Stolen Sailboat Runs Aground in Pacifica; 3 Arrested

Sausalito police received a call just before 8 a.m. from the owner of the boat saying it had been stolen from the Sausalito Yacht Harbor, Sgt. Bill Fraass said.

According to Fraass, the boat's owner was watching the news broadcast of the beached vessel when he recognized the boat as his own.

Lucett said it was low tide Monday morning, and the boat was stuck in about 4 feet of water. He said high tide will not peak until 10 p.m.

Now that the occupants were off the sailboat, a salvage crew will come in to get the boat off the beach, Lucett said.

No fuel leaks have been detected.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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