Tad Luckey of Luckey's Fishing Charters noticed his backpack missing at 5:30 a.m. from behind the counter at the harbor's Slip 52, according to Capt. Charles Hirata of the Maui Police Department. Luckey told co-worker William Sinclair he had seen a man walking away with a backpack, and Sinclair headed for a line of boulders that borders one end of the harbor. Suspecting the thief was nearby, but unable to see in the dark, Sinclair began pouring his cup of coffee out onto the rocks, Hirata said.

Scalded by the hot liquid, a 21-year-old man yelled and jumped up with Luckey's backpack in his hand, Hirata said. The suspect was escorted back to the boat slip and arrested for second-degree theft. Luckey's wallet was missing from the backpack, but the item was found hidden among the boulders.

The suspect was being held this morning at the Lahaina Police Station.