'Naked' Iowa man accused of stealing boat, drifting down Mississippi River

An Iowa man is accused of stealing a boat and floating down the Mississippi River while naked, police said.

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Tobias Tyrone Hartsfield, 43, of Bettendorf, was charged with first-degree theft, first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal mischief, according to the Scott County Sheriff's Office.

The first-degree charges are each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while the second-degree charge carries a prison term of up to five years, according to the Quad-City Times.

Bond was set Monday morning at $25,000, according to arrest records. Hartsfield will appear in court Aug. 22.

Sunday night, police responded to a call of a naked man jumping from a boat onto barges on the Mississippi River and unhooking the ropes that held them together, the Times reported.

In arrest affidavits, police allege Hartsfield stole a 1985 Marinette cabin motorboat from a marina and floated it downstream, where it hit several barges being used for construction on the Interstate 74 bridge. KWQC reported.

Police said Hartsfield climbed onto the barge and untied its ropes, causing them to shift, WQAD reported. He returned to the boat, where he was found by police, the television station reported.

Police said Hartsfield was naked, and officials were unable to find his clothes, WQAD reported. He was given clothes when he was booked into the Scott County Jail, the television station reported.

Damages to the boat were estimated between $1,500 and $10,000, the Times reported. Damages to the barges were estimated to exceed $10,000, according to the newspaper.

Cox Media Group