Half-naked suspected burglar attempts getaway in pedal boat

When suspected burglar Christopher Schaumburger tried to get away Monday, officials say he opted for an unusual mode of transportation. They say he stole a pedal boat and tried to cross Lake Tarpon.

"I've been doing this for 27 years and I've never heard of anybody trying to get out in an open lake in a pedal boat to run from us," said Sgt. Tom Nestor with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.



If that wasn't enough, authorities say Schaumburger also stripped down to his underwear and then, when the pedal boat broke about 200 yards from shore, he called 911.

"He didn't have a shirt on and he was screaming like he was scared to death. I don't think he knew how to swim," said Bruce Boltze, who witnessed the whole thing. Schaumburger is now in the county jail facing charges of armed burglary, attempted burglary and aggravated assault.

With news video.