ASTORIA, Ore. — A man who posted video on social media of himself leaving a dead fish on the porch of the famous "Goonies" house in Astoria on Wednesday later had to be rescued from a stolen boat, as seen in a harrowing video posted by the U.S. Coast Guard Friday afternoon, according to Astoria police.
On Friday evening, Seaside Police and officers from the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police arrested 35-year-old Jericho Wolf Labonte of Victoria, British Columbia, at a warming shelter in Seaside.
As of Saturday afternoon, Labonte is in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Northwest Detention Center in Washington.
Officers said Labonte was wanted on charges of theft I, endangering another person, unauthorized use of a vehicle and criminal mischief II. Additionally, he is a wanted fugitive out of British Columbia and a suspect in other cases.
Police received a report Wednesday that the man later identified as Labonte had left a dead fish on the porch of the Goonies house in the upper town neighborhood of Astoria, according to Astoria police chief Stacy Kelly.
The act was caught on surveillance video, which the homeowner shared with KGW. Labonte is seen walking up, leaving the fish, taking video with his phone. He appears to have posted video of the incident to Facebook. Police said he also put stickers on the security camera lenses outside the house, and later returned and removed the fish.
Fast forward to Friday, when police said Labonte stole a boat called the Sandpiper from the West End Basin and later had to be rescued by the Coast Guard, according to Kelly.
In a series of tweets posted early Friday afternoon, the Pacific Northwest branch of the Coast Guard stated that two air crews who were conducting a training mission at the mouth of the Columbia River received a mayday broadcast from the Sandpiper.
The Coast Guard launched motor life boats from nearby Cape Disappointment, the agency said, but the air crews arrived and found the Sandpiper floundering in the surf in conditions that made a boat rescue dangerous, so the air crews opted to lower a rescue swimmer instead, Petty Officer 3rd Class Branch Walton.
"I was actually here for training as a student for the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School," he said, "I kind of got called on the called on the case, kind of luck of the draw."
The Sandpiper capsized just as the swimmer entered the water — video accompanying the tweet shows a wave hitting the side of the boat and flipping it — but the rescue swimmer was able to save the occupant.
"I kind of got thrown around a little bit by the wave and then when I came up I noticed that the boat was pretty much in shambles," Walton explained.
Labonte was taken to the hospital, but was discharged before officials realized that he'd stolen the boat.
"Unfortunately, he was discharged from the hospital before everyone put two and two together, so he is somewhere between here and the Coast Guard base," said Kelly. "Apparently, he left his jacket on the Coast Guard helicopter and we believe he's heading back there to retrieve his jacket."
Officials said Labonte was also wanted in British Columbia. Victoria Police tweeted a photo of him on Jan. 19, stating that he was wanted on warrants for criminal harassment, mischief and failure to comply, and asking members of the public to call 911 if they saw him.
Police were looking for Labonte throughout Friday evening, eventually finding him at the Seaside warming center, Kelly said.
Despite the charges in Canada, Kelly said that they were not serious enough to warrant extradition. However, he said that the U.S. Border Patrol was aware of the situation and wanted to be notified as soon as he was taken into custody.
The Goonies house was used as the filming location for the 1985 cult classic movie, and has become a popular tourist attraction for fans of the film — to the occasional frustration of neighbors and the city.
More recently, the house was listed for sale and eventually purchased for just over $1.65 million by Behman Zakeri, who came forward publicly after the sale and declared that he was a fan of the film and wanted to preserve the landmark.