Woman charged with theft, forgery related to boat rental business

A 36-year-old woman is facing a string of new charges, including theft and forgery, following an investigation into her boat rental business.

Kristen Wooden, of the 41000 block of North Westlake Avenue in unincorporated Antioch, was arrested Friday on three misdemeanor charges of theft, one felony charge of forgery and one felony charge of unlawful possession of a certificate of title.

All five charges are related to Wooden’s business, The Boatyard, 42125 N. 4th Ave., in unincorporated Antioch. Wooden previously was arrested in July 2023 when she was accused of taking a cellphone from a boat renter and throwing it into the water.

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, several people came forward after that arrest, asserting they had been scammed by Wooden. The Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit conducted an investigation, resulting in the series of current charges against Wooden.

Wooden is alleged to have forged a document certifying her boats were inspected by an independent boat repair service and found to be safe and operable. She also is accused of unlawfully charging three separate individuals’ credit cards, as well as selling a fourth person one of her boats but refusing to give the boat’s title.

Wooden is being held in the Lake County jail awaiting first-appearance court on Saturday.