Sheriff: Santa Rosa man sent up river after rowboat theft

An armed Santa Rosa man was arrested Thursday evening after taking a stolen rowboat for a cruise down the Petaluma River, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office.|

An armed Santa Rosa man was arrested Thursday evening after taking a stolen rowboat for a cruise down the Petaluma River, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office.

The man, identified as 26-year-old Ian Sigtermans, swiped the watercraft from a business on the 6100 block of Lakeville Highway around 6:30 p.m., according to the department’s Community Engagement Liaison Misti Harris. He was reportedly carrying a knife.

The boat’s owner attempted to contact Sigtermans as he was traveling in the river, but he jumped ship, Harris said.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter spotted Sigtermans attempting to hide under a blanket or a tarp on the riverbank and alerted deputies about his location.

Deputies trekked through the swampy ground and shoulder-high reeds to track down Sigtermans, according to a post on the department’s Facebook.

He was taken into custody at gunpoint and booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of stealing the boat and resisting arrest, deputies said.

The boat was returned to its rightful owner.

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