An East Bremerton man was found hiding in his mother’s boat March 3 after assaulting an employee at the Tracyton Market and stealing cases of beer.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the market at 2:24 p.m. by a 50-year-old employee who wrestled with an 18-year-old man trying to steal beer, according to reports from the Kitsap County Sheriff’s office. The 18-year-old entered the store from the back door, grabbed two 18-count cases of Budweiser and tried to sneak back out. The employee grabbed the man and wrestled him to the ground before the 18-year-old kneed the store employee in the chest and escaped.

Deputies later visited a nearby garage where the 18-year-old was known to hang out, where the man’s 16-year-old girlfriend and other friends were found. The teenagers said the 18-year-old was there and told them about taking the beer, but they told him to leave. The 16-year-old girl was listed as a missing person from Lynnwood and was arrested for an outstanding warrant.

The girl told deputies that she and the 18-year-old were sleeping in his mother’s boat for a week without her knowledge. Deputies found the man hiding under blankets in the boat. He was arrested and taken to Kitsap County jail for investigation of robbery.