Sausalito City Manager Elaine Forbes, 53, was arrested early Saturday after authorities said she boarded multiple vessels at a local marina, including a 66-foot yacht investigators believe she may have been attempting to take. The owner of the yacht, identified as the Lisa Marie, reported that his boat was found in a state of disarray.
Andy Cunningham, the yacht's owner, stated that upon being contacted by police, he discovered "unbelievable chaos" on board. According to Cunningham, clothing had been pulled from storage and tried on, food was consumed, and four bottles of wine were drunk. He also reported finding a jar of maraschino cherries dumped into a shoebox.
The incident occurred hours after a missing-person report was filed for Forbes on Friday, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. Forbes was reportedly in custody at the Marin County Jail and was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning.
A family spokesperson indicated that Forbes was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident. Sam Singer, a spokesperson, described Forbes as a "highly respected public servant" who had a mental health crisis. He noted that Forbes lives on a houseboat near the marina and suggested that her condition might have led her to mistakenly believe she was on her own vessel.
Forbes had recently been approved for a leave of absence by the Sausalito City Council, having served as city manager for approximately three weeks. Prior to her role in Sausalito, Forbes served as the director of the Port of San Francisco for nine years, resigning from that position last September.
Despite the circumstances, Cunningham expressed that he held no anger towards Forbes and felt sympathy for what she might be going through.