NY Man Takes Boat for Joy Ride

Barrington police were called last Wednesday evening to respond to the sighting of a young man getting out of a row boat at a private dock at 5 Oyster Shell Lane on the Barrington River.

The man, 21, rowed the boat across the river and left it at the dock at about 7:43 pm, said Barrington Police Chief John LaCross. The owner of the dock contacted police when he saw the man cutting through his yard. He also confronted the man, LaCross said.

The man admitted it was not his boat, which is owned by a Warren man. He said “the current in the river was too strong” and he could not return the boat to the other side, LaCross said. He was looking for a ride back to his cousin’s house.

Barrington police said the man was from New York and was visiting a cousin in Warren. He took the boat to simply go for a ride across the river, police said.

The owner of the boat did not want to press charges after it was returned to him, LaCross said.