Man pleads guilty in stealing boat propeller in Blaine Harbor

A Whatcom County man has plead guilty for attempting to steal a boat propeller in Blaine Harbor in early January as part of a plea agreement he took with other local cases.

Thomas Edward Trent Jr., 39, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on January 9 and has since remained in the work center.

Blaine Police Department responded to a call of two men aboard a boat in Gate 3 of Blaine Harbor around 12:30 p.m. January 9, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in Whatcom County Superior Court. The boat’s owner was away on a trip and the men were unknown to the person watching the boat.

Nearby cameras showed Trent stand on the boat while handing a $5,000 bronze propeller to the other suspect, according to court documents. Witnesses chased the suspects, who dropped the 100-pound propeller, and police were able to arrest Trent.

Trent was originally arrested for first-degree theft and first-degree vehicle prowl, though the vehicle prowl charge was dropped. On January 30, Trent plead guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree theft as part of a plea agreement for first-degree trafficking stolen property and a Whatcom County District Court case. He will serve 90 days in county jail.