Two teen suspects were arrested early Wednesday morning in Sumter County after deputies found them hiding in culvert pipes, hours after they were accused of stealing two boats.

Gage Parrott, one of the victims, said his 14-foot aluminum Jon boat was stolen from the river in his backyard. Parrott described the thief as wearing a red ski mask. He called 911 and yelled at the person, but it didn’t stop them.

Parrott then called his stepdad, who used another boat to try and track down the suspects. His stepdad found them before the police did and dropped the police a pin, and the helicopter was able to follow them.

Footage from a Sumter County Sheriff’s Office helicopter showed someone wading through the water away from a boat. According to an arrest report, the suspects jumped into the water after spotting the helicopter and ran into the woods.

Deputies searched for hours before an arrest report states a Sumter County School Board employee spotted the teens on surveillance cameras at Lake Panasoffkee Elementary School.

The 14- and 17-year-old suspects were found hiding in culvert pipes and were arrested on charges including grand theft. An arrest report states the teens had a furry red ski mask with them.

Parrott was able to recover his boat and inspected it for the first time on Wednesday. He found that the paddle was not his and that the anchor rope had been cut.

Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.