DECATUR, AL (WAFF) -
An 85-year-old Decatur man thought he had lost his 14-foot motorboat for good after someone stole it. But now he will get it back after police arrested a suspect and found the boat, all because of a listing on Craigslist.
Miles Powell reported his boat stolen on June 17. It was missing from where he had it stored behind a second home he owns on Woodmont Drive.
A man who lives across the street had some things stolen from his home, so he checked to see if the thief may be trying to sell it on Craigslist.
This week, he saw a boat just like the one Powell had stolen from him. The ad was posted the day after the boat went missing.
The neighbor told Powell who told Decatur Police investigators. They traced the ad to Gregory Scott Compton, found the boat and arrested him.
Powell said he has no idea why a thief would try to sell the stolen boat on the internet for everyone to see, but he's glad he did.
"I think he's a mighty a brazen person, or maybe he's a whole lot smarter than me. But, to put it on the internet immediately, that's beyond me. The police did an excellent job," said Powell.
Lt. John Crouch said police have discovered more items stolen from that neighborhood on Craigslist that they believe are linked to Compton and that more charges are likely for him.
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Gregory Compton (Source: Decatur Police Department)
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