Man rescued by Coast Guard then arrested after allegedly stealing yacht, leaving dead fish at 'Goonies' house

A man who was saved during a dramatic rescue by the Coast Guard at the mouth of the Columbia River on Friday was wanted by authorities for leaving a dead fish at a home in Astoria, Oregon that was featured in the classic 1985 film "The Goonies."

The Goonies house was recently purchased by Behman Zakeri, for $1.65 million in December. He had previously said he will welcome fans of the film to come see the 126-year-old home. The 37-year-old Kansas City entrepreneur is a fan of the family-friendly movie and has claimed to have seen it over 100 times.



According to Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly, law enforcement had been searching for Jericho Labonte, 35, of Victoria, British Columbia since Wednesday, when he posted a video on social media of himself leaving a dead fish at the Goonies house and then dancing around the property.

“It’s been a really odd 48 hours,” Kelly said.

Kelly told the media that Labonte is wanted in British Columbia on criminal harassment, mischief and failure to comply in cases from last year.

Petty Officer Michael Clark said the Coast Guard received a mayday call at approximately 10 am Friday while conducting trainings nearby. The mayday had no location information or the specific problem, but the agency was able to triangulate the boat’s location and found vessel taking on water in 20-foot (6-meter) seas.

The P/C Sandpiper yacht was located at mouth of the Columbia, the largest North American river flowing into the Pacific Ocean and is known as “the graveyard of the Pacific” for its rough water.

The Coast Guard shared dramatic video of a rescue made Friday morning showing a rookie rescue swimmer, Petty Officer 1st Class Branch Walton, of Greenville, South Carolina, being lowered by cable from a helicopter and swimming to the yacht that was struggling to stay afloat.

As the swimmer approached the boat, a large wave slammed into it, capsizing the boat and throwing a man, who was later identified as Labonte, into the surf.

Walton was able to rescue Labonte and he was flown to the Coast Guard Base Astoria, where medics treated him for mild hypothermia and transported him to a hospital. Walton said, “I kind of got thrown around a little bit by the wave. When I came up I noticed the boat was pretty much in shambles.”

Kelly said that the yacht’s owner, who lives in nearby Warrenton, Oregon, reported the vessel stolen later Friday but that the hospital had already released Labonte.

Police saw the Coast Guard video and photos and realized the man who was rescued was the same person who allegedly covered the security cameras at "The Goonies" house and left the dead fish on the porch.

After the video Labonte posted of leaving the fish at the house began circulating on social media a person reported having taken Labonte fishing earlier in the day.

According to NBC, he was taken into custody at a "warming shelter" in the northwestern Oregon resort town of Seaside.