Four people who are accused of stealing a motorless 18-foot flat-bottom boat in Clinton had plans to drift to the mouth of the Mississippi River before the boat struck a dam Monday night, Scott County Sheriff Dennis Conard said.

Christopher Allen Rannow, 25, of Clinton, Anna T. Nelson, 32, of Clinton, and Sherrie Lynn Holloway, 52 of Hanover, Ill., each are charged with one count of third-degree theft and one count of harassment of a public official. Jay Michael Parsi, 20, of Hanover, Ill., is charged with one count of third-degree theft.

About 11:30 p.m. Monday, a 911 call was received from a man on a boat who stated he was drifting in the water and hit the dam. The dam he struck was Lock and Dam 14, LeClaire.

The four people in the boat were rescued, but an investigation into the incident led to their arrests.

Conard said the four stole the boat and were attempting to drift to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

“They had no motor, hence the reason they couldn’t miss the dam,” Conard said.

He added that the four were taking a big risk because there were no life vests in the boat.

Luckily, one of them had a cellphone, he said.