Northern California deputies arrest 4 after stolen boat is found stripped in an orchard

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office arrested four people during an investigation into a boat stolen from its owner’s home last month.

The boat had been dumped in an orchard in Vina, a town in Tehama County, stripped of its engine and several other components, deputies said. Deputies made arrests in the incident through the month of August.

Investigators determined through surveillance footage that Mark Seldon, 47, was a suspect in the theft and arrested him. He had ammunition and “evidence” related to stealing the boat, deputies said.

Seldon pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of grand theft of personal property costing more than $950 at his Thursday arraignment. He’s due back for a preliminary hearing Aug. 29, according to Butte Superior Court records.

Through the investigation, deputies said they learned another suspect, a 36-year-old Red Bluff man, was involved in the incident. He was arrested at his home, during which deputies said they found a piece of the stolen boat and that he was involved in taking the boat directly from the victim’s home.

The 36-year-old man faces charges of grand theft, conspiracy, vehicle theft and receiving stolen property after his Thursday arrest, according to a jail log.

Deputies said they uncovered more evidence at the 36-year-old suspect’s home, which led them to a 40-year-old man’s home in Chico.

The boat was once at the 40-year-old Chico man’s home, leading investigators to serve a search at his home. They found parts of the stolen boat, meth and a shotgun, deputies said.

The 40-year-old man faces charges of taking a boat without the owner’s consent and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. A woman at his residence also was arrested on suspicion of being a felon who had a gun, deputies said.

Anyone with more information about this incident is asked to call Detective Casey Whitney or Detective Mike Worch at 530-538-7322.