Two charged in Monroe County for stealing man's submarine

[tmsmalley]

Two charged in Monroe County for stealing man's submarine
By Ashley Tusan Joyner - ajoyner@macon.com

Warrants have been issued for two men accused of stealing this submarine from a Monroe County home.Two men are charged with felony theft after a Monroe County man's submarine went missing in February.

After stealing it, the men sold the vessel to Wacters Metals & Recycling in Macon for $900, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Monroe County sheriff's deputies investigated the theft for more than two months before receiving an anonymous tip from someone who reported seeing two men load up the tank at a Blount Road residence.

Walter Thompson, 20, of Jackson, turned himself into the sheriff's office Thursday. He was released from custody on $10,000 bond, according to sheriff's office spokeswoman Allison Selman-Willis.

Brian Williamson, 31, of Monroe County, is expected to turn himself into authorities Monday, Selman-Willis said. Williamson, a truck driver, is returning to the area from a road trip.

Shane Godfrey, a Monroe County welder, reportedly worked on the vessel for several months at his home. The submarine was in operation before it was recycled, Selman-Willis said.

Its value was estimated at more than $100,000, according to the sheriff's office.

Godfrey could not be reached for comment. Calls to Wacter Metals were not immediately returned.

[tmsmalley]

Sub Theft Case Now Solved




Authorities say stolen submarine case now solved
By Ashley Tusan Joyner - ajoyner@macon.com

Special to The Telegraph
Shane Godfrey, a Monroe County welder, built and owned his own submarine before it was stolen in February.Authorities say sailing a submarine is not what two men did after they stole such a vessel from a Monroe County home in February.

Instead, the men transported the submarine to a Macon metal recycler, had the tank dismantled and received $900 in exchange for it.

"I'm sure that company gets all sorts of strange things that come through," said Allison Selman-Willis of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. "It may or may not have been identifiable."

Walter Thompson, 20, of Jackson, and Brian Williamson, 31, of Monroe County, are charged with felony theft in connection with the incident.

Thompson turned himself in to the sheriff's office Thursday and later was released on $10,000 bond.

Williamson, a truck driver, is expected to do the same Monday when he returns to the area from a road trip.

Shane Godfrey, a Monroe County welder who built and owned the underwater boat, could not be reached for comment.

Godfrey contacted the sheriff's office Feb. 5 when he discovered his submarine missing.

Monroe County sheriff's deputies investigated the theft for more than two months before receiving an anonymous tip from someone who reported seeing two men load up the vessel at a Blount Road residence.

"He had been working on it off and on for quite a while," Selman-Willis said. "It wasn't a kit. He just built it."

Godfrey's watercraft - larger versions tend to be used by militaries or for oceanic exploration - had an estimated value of $100,000. This submarine was in operation before it was recycled.

"He obviously was pretty good at making it, because it's floating in those pictures," Selman-Willis said. "But we only have a few small bodies of water in our county."

Wacter Metals & Recycling dealt with the submarine. Calls to the Macon business were not returned.

Selman-Willis said a regional watchdog coalition that alerts law enforcement when people try to sell suspicious metal was not involved in this investigation.

She called the theft odd.

"Not many people own their own sub. I imagine it was heavy to load and fairly conspicuous going down the road," she said.




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[mylo]

Wow...would I be PISSED if

Wow...would I be PISSED if somebody cut up my homebuilt sub for scrap.

I hope that guy sailed it in waters with more visibility than that.

Cool thing, none the less.

Mylo

[crazy ivan]

Another version of the same

Another version of the same story.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/15847652/detail.html

[mylo]

Dang....if I was moving, the

Dang....if I was moving, the first thing on the trailer would be that sub. I can imagine the time and money put into it. Sub stuff isn't cheap....in any scale.

....wonder how the guy "died" ? I'm sure it would have said if it was some sort of mishap in that sub.

Different kind of story. Always like to see those homebuilt subs.

Mylo