VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A 45-year-old Virginia Beach man was arrested Wednesday after being caught with a stolen boat. Investigators then connected him to a business burglary that occurred on July 9.
Jason Lawrence Wirt
According to Virginia Beach Police, around 1:25 a.m. Wednesday morning, someone reported that they were notified by their boat’s GPS that the boat had been removed from its dock slip.
The person went to the dock at Bay Venture Boat Rentals at 600 Laskin Road to find that the boat was missing. The person then followed the boat’s location via GPS and provided updates to authorities.
Eventually, using VBPD’s Aviation Unit and K9 Unit, the suspect was located and arrested.
During the investigation, detectives were led to believe that the suspect, 45-year-old Jason Lawrence Wirt, is connected to the July 9 burglary of Americana Roadside Grill on Laskin Road.
In that incident, employees arrived at work on July 9 to find that the business had been broken into and several items had been stolen. Surveillance video showed a white male inside the business around 4:30 a.m. that morning. The suspect left and returned wearing different clothing.
Wirt has been charged with Grand Larceny and Breaking & Entering related to the July 12, 2017 incident. Wirt has also been charged with Breaking & Entering, Grand Larceny and Possession of Burglarious Tools related to the July 9, 2017 incident.
In May, 2018 Wirt was sentenced to serve four years for two counts of burglary and a probation violation. He also has to pay restitution of $2,200.
