A drunk man was arrested in Florida for stealing a floating tiki bar after he was found slumped over the wheel off the Florida coast.
As reported by the Miami Herald, Tyln Earl Morlang, 26, of Independence, Missouri was found by the US coastguard in the stolen bar, which he had taken from operator Cruisin’ Tikis, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Morlang was spotted in the bar at around 8am local time on 13 January by a coastguard patrol boat in the Florida Keys.
He was arrested and later charged with grand theft with damage over US$1,000, as well as resisting arrest and giving false ID to authorities. Authorities believe he stole the bar the night before from the Hurricane Hole marina on Stock Island.
#BreakingNews?@USCG Station Key West crews recovered a reportedly stolen tiki hut boat near Hawk’s Channel. The person aboard showed signs of intoxication and was taken into custody by @MyFWC. Don’t drink and boat! #Partnerships #BUI #LawEnforcement pic.twitter.com/taecIufV0j
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) January 13, 2021
The FWC told the Miami Herald that the hut had been burnt in places and the VHF radio was partially melted.
Johnna Sleith, one of the owners of Cruisin’ Tikis, said it was believed Morlang started fires in cup holders and water jugs to keep warm.
It is the second time in recent months that a floating tiki bar has made headlines. In September last year a man who struggling in the waters of Lake George in New York state found his prayers unexpectedly answered by a floating tiki bar full of Catholic priests.
Jimmy Macdonald, who had been kayaking before he capsized, got into difficulty in the water, but in an incredible twist of fate (or perhaps divine intervention), was rescued from the lake by a floating tiki bar full of Catholic priests and seminarians from St Joseph’s Seminary in Washington DC.
