Owner of Chicago area boat rental business arrested after ongoing investigation

UNINCORPORATED ANTIOCH, Ill. – The owner of a Lake County boat rental business is facing new charges after she was accused of throwing a customer’s phone into a suburban lake in front of deputies last year.

Kristen Wooden, 36, has been charged with committing forgery and stealing money from customers of The Boatyard, located at 42125 North 4th Avenue in unincorporated Antioch, according to a statement from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

She was first arrested in July 2023 when a heated argument over a pontoon boat crash resulted in Wooden grabbing a customer’s phone and throwing it into the water as marine deputies arrived on the scene. Wooden was charged with criminal damage to property in the incident.

Following her arrest, the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit launched a criminal investigation after more victims came forward and claimed they had been scammed by Wooden, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators learned that when Wooden applied for her business’s boat rental license in 2023, she submitted documentation to the State of Illinois claiming she had her fleet of boats inspected by an independent repair service that certified them in safe and operable condition. However, investigators discovered Wooden had forged the manager of the repair center’s name and signature on the document, and never actually had the boats inspected.

Around Labor Day weekend, Wooden was notified that The Boatyard’s commercial watercraft privileges were suspended, and she could no longer rent boats after violating the Fox Waterway Act. However, deputies later stopped a boat on the Chain O’Lakes and learned the occupants paid to rent the boat from Wooden’s business.

After the boat was pulled over, a man arrived at the scene when he noticed a social media post circulating about the incident. The man provided documentation to authorities that showed he had recently purchased the boat from The Boatyard, and the business had no authority to rent it. The sheriff’s office said it determined Wooden sold the man the boat but refused to give him the boat’s title.

On July 17, a person who rented a boat from The Boatyard began having mechanical problems while on the Chain O’Lakes and returned to the business. Wooden disputed the renter’s claims and unlawfully charged over $225 on the victim’s credit card after they left the business, the sheriff’s office said.

Just over a week later, another victim discovered the boat they had rented was in poor condition and notified The Boatyard staff about the problem. After the victim wrote a negative review about their experience, Wooden charged $500 to their credit card.

On Aug. 19, the sheriff’s office said a victim, who had a background in watercraft, rented a boat from The Boatyard and immediately noticed an issue with its propeller. When he asked to speak with Wooden about the issue, she was already involved in a heated argument with another customer. She told the victim if he didn’t leave, she would call the police.

The victim later discovered Wooden charged his credit card for extra cars parked on her property, the damaged propeller, and a charge for ‘criminal damage to property – police called.’

On Thursday, the sheriff’s marine unit and Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case. Wooden was charged with felony counts of forgery and unlawful possession of a certificate of title, as well as several misdemeanor charges for theft.

Wooden was taken into custody at her home on Friday without incident. She remains held in the Lake County Jail pending her first court appearance on Saturday.