Weymouth Man Charged With Stealing and Burning Boat on Island Arraigned

A Weymouth man accused of stealing a boat and burning it on an island near Hingham was arraigned in Quincy District Court Wednesday.

David Dodd, 32, was charged with larceny over $250, burning a boat, attempting to commit a crime, and trespassing. He is free on $2,500 cash bail.

According to court documents, Weymouth police received a call at 12:35 a.m. Wednesday requesting a welfare check for Dodd from Sturbridge police, who were told by his apparent girlfriend that he consumed a bottle of pills while he was on a boat. It is unknown how many pills Dodd allegedly took.

With the boat believed to be in Weymouth waters, police checked nearby yacht clubs for Dodd and his boat. Pinging his cell phone, police thought he was likely at a marina in Hull.

After Dodd’s boat was discovered at the Wessagusett Yacht Club in Weymouth, police were told that a club-owned work boat was missing.

State police and the U.S. Coast Guard searched nearby waters for Dodd, before another check of his cell phone location brought officials to State Island near Hingham. Upon arrival, authorities noticed that Dodd was there and the club-owned boat was on fire.

Dodd was taken to South Shore Hospital before being transferred into the custody of Weymouth police. He is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 17.