The Mary Woods No. 2 sank at Jacksonport State Park over the weekend, and the exact cause is currently as great a mystery as the existence of the legendary White River monster.
Paul Lindi Morrison, 49, and Richard Hall Rife, 30, have both been formally charged with commercial burglary and criminal mischief. Their bonds were set at $500,000 each in Newport District Court Monday, and the pair is ordered to appear before the Jackson County Circuit Court.
Sheriff David Lucas responded to Jacksonport State Park Superintendent Mark Ballard’s Sunday morning call requesting assistance in the investigation of the ship‘s sinking. Investigator Ricky Morales was then contacted to process the scene for evidence.
“There were tire tracks from a truck that had went around a gate and gotten stuck,” Lucas said.
A vehicle was later located by investigators and its tires matched the tracks left at the scene.
“It had broken down, and a local preacher informed us that he had picked up two intoxicated individuals at around 6 a.m. Sunday morning,” Lucas said.
Law enforcement officers were then notified of the location where the pair were dropped off at.
“Corporal Doug Cash and Investigator Morales went to a Newport residence and located Morrison,” Lucas said. “He was brought in for questioning at that point.”
Rife was taken into custody shortly afterwards at a local motel.
Lucas is certain the two suspects are responsible for the ship’s sinking due to the pair’s answers during police interrogation.
“The have said enough during questioning that we are confident that we do have the right people,” Lucas said. “We believe based on their statements that they may have turned or opened some valves that were in the Mary Woods.”
The ship must be removed from the White River waters before investigators can be truly assured what caused the vessel to become almost completely submerged. Only a small portion of the craft may be seen above the water’s surface.
“We have got to get her raised to where we can get on it to have an engineer come to show us what caused it to go down,” Lucas said.
It is the responsibility of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism to remove the ship from the river, according to Lucas.
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The Mary Woods No. 2 sank at Jacksonport State Park over the weekend, and the exact cause is currently as great a mystery as the existence of the legendary White River monster.
Paul Lindi Morrison, 49, and Richard Hall Rife, 30, have both been formally charged with commercial burglary and criminal mischief. Their bonds were set at $500,000 each in Newport District Court Monday, and the pair is ordered to appear before the Jackson County Circuit Court.
Sheriff David Lucas responded to Jacksonport State Park Superintendent Mark Ballard’s Sunday morning call requesting assistance in the investigation of the ship‘s sinking. Investigator Ricky Morales was then contacted to process the scene for evidence.
“There were tire tracks from a truck that had went around a gate and gotten stuck,” Lucas said.
A vehicle was later located by investigators and its tires matched the tracks left at the scene.
“It had broken down, and a local preacher informed us that he had picked up two intoxicated individuals at around 6 a.m. Sunday morning,” Lucas said.
Law enforcement officers were then notified of the location where the pair were dropped off at.
“Corporal Doug Cash and Investigator Morales went to a Newport residence and located Morrison,” Lucas said. “He was brought in for questioning at that point.”
Rife was taken into custody shortly afterwards at a local motel.
Lucas is certain the two suspects are responsible for the ship’s sinking due to the pair’s answers during police interrogation.
“The have said enough during questioning that we are confident that we do have the right people,” Lucas said. “We believe based on their statements that they may have turned or opened some valves that were in the Mary Woods.”
The ship must be removed from the White River waters before investigators can be truly assured what caused the vessel to become almost completely submerged. Only a small portion of the craft may be seen above the water’s surface.
“We have got to get her raised to where we can get on it to have an engineer come to show us what caused it to go down,” Lucas said.
It is the responsibility of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism to remove the ship from the river, according to Lucas.
