Boathouse owner points out repairs required after fire crews had to tear apart his floor to reach a theft suspect. (KOMO photo)

When police and firefighters apprehended a burglary suspect at Jim Clark Marina in West Seattle on March 22, they also had to tear up part of the boathouse where the suspect was hiding. So who pays for the repairs?

Boathouse owner Sandy Brown said he understands the police and fire crews did what they had to do when the suspect jumped into the water and hid under his boathouse floor.

The suspect was reportedly in the frigid, murky water near under the boathouse foundation for at least an hour. When he refused to come out and diver's couldn't reach him, there was only one option.

"They took chain saws," said Brown. "And they just started cutting the floor. You can see, kinda still the saw marks here."

Brown and his friends took photos of the gaping holes and sections of the wood floor that were pulled off their base.

"We came in and had to redo it right away, because if anyone came in here they'd fall in the water," Brown explained.

"There's probably a couple thousand dollars worth of just material," Brown added. "And then there was three hours of four guys' labor."

Brown feels fortunate that his friends pitched in to help with the carpentry work, so that he didn't have to call contractors and wait for them to fit him in their schedule. He figured he'd just have to absorb the repair costs.

Why not call his insurance company?



"Your rates go up," said Brown. "And then you have a claim. I just didn't want to do that."

Like many consumers, Brown didn't know that Seattle, and most other cities, has a system for filing a claim when your property is damaged by a city employee in the line of duty.

"I was more concerned about that guy and getting him out of here," Brown said of the suspect.

Now that he knows, he's taking more pictures and gathering receipts to recoup the money he spent on repairs.

That's what you should do if your property is damaged by a city, or county employee in the line of duty. Take good photos and make sure you have receipts.

Claim forms are usually online. But, keep in mind the process can take as long as 60 days, and with extensive damage you may need to get your insurance company involved.

That's the good news for Sandy Brown and his fellow boathouse owners at the marina.

On the downside, the burglary suspect is back on the street. Seattle police say because of a paperwork error, charges were not filed within the 72 hour window required by law so the man had to be released.

Seattle Police are still investigating, however, and everyone at the marina is on alert.