Surf Pines couple drawn into boat theft mishap

Kaila Mellos, The Daily Astorian, Ore.
·3 min read
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Feb. 8—What seemed like a normal Friday for Dr. David Leibel and his wife, Cindy, turned into a bizarre mishap that attracted international attention.

At around 3:30 p.m., authorities called the doctor to inform him that his boat, a 47-foot Ocean Alexander yacht named P/C Sandpiper, had been stolen from the West Mooring Basin. He rushed to the marina in Uniontown to find out more information and speak with law enforcement.

When the doctor arrived, he learned the Sandpiper had been seen leaving the marina at 5:15 a.m., according to security tapes he was shown by authorities . He said he was not told what happened to his boat.

Jericho Labonte, a fugitive from Victoria, British Columbia, allegedly stole the Sandpiper. He was saved in a dramatic rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday as the boat capsized near the mouth of the Columbia River.

Labonte, who is suspected of leaving a dead fish on the porch of the Goonies house in Uppertown last week, was arrested on theft and other charges on Friday night at the warming center in Seaside.

It was not until the 5 p.m. television news that Cindy Leibel said she found out what happened to the Sandpiper. In utter shock, she watched footage of the boat capsize in the heavy surf and knew it was gone.

"I knew that the boat was stolen, but I didn't know it was destroyed," Cindy Leibel said. "I was prepared that it was going to have some damage, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw."

The Surf Pines couple, who learned of the fate of the Sandpiper separately, felt violated by the loss.

"We bought it during COVID as our safe place," Cindy Leibel said. "A lot of people bought RVs and we bought the boat. We've always had boats, though. It was a nice little safe haven to be away from everybody."

They said they originally kept the Sandpiper in a gated marina at Gig Harbor, Washington, but moved it down here in September 2021 to be closer.

The Leibel's had a zipped canvas encasing the back of the boat and a locked door on the other side intended to prevent easy access.

"It's slowly that I'm realizing the loss of the boat," said David Leibel, a urologist who joined Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria in 2004. "There's suddenly no place to go."

In the aftermath, the couple is dealing with their insurance company and the Washington State Department of Ecology.

The Leibel's said they are being held responsible for the cleanup of the wreckage through their insurance company. As pieces of the Sandpiper wash ashore, they are liable to get it off the beach.

The couple expects to receive reimbursement equal to what they could have obtained from selling the Sandpiper. Even then, they said, it will not replace what they lost.

"If we get the cash value, it's not gonna make up for it," Cindy Leibel said. "We spent a lot of time and money fixing that boat up. We completely redid the electronics, the interior was all reupholstered, new carpet, new everything."