Out of Control Germans! Joshua Tree National Park Hit by International Vandalism Spree!
German tourists caught red-handed after turning Joshua Tree National Park into their personal paintball playground! 🌐 #News #JoshuaTree #California #Crime
TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA – The National Park Service said Thursday that it cited three German tourists for firing paintball guns throughout California’s Joshua Tree National Park earlier this month.
On Aug. 4, a park ranger patrolling the Jumbo Rocks Campground saw “fresh yellow paintball splatter” on structures and signs, park officials said. Law enforcement rangers responded to the campground to investigate further, and saw a slingshot inside a vehicle “in plain view.”
Three individuals visiting from Germany were questioned and admitted firing paintballs with a compressed paintball gun, known as a paintball marker, and slingshots the night before.
Rangers searched their vehicle and recovered three slingshots, a paintball marker, paintballs, and other related equipment.
Park officials said paintball markers and slingshots are legally considered weapons, and are thus prohibited in National Park Service-administered lands.
A further search of the park revealed bathrooms and dumpsters and been shot with yellow paintballs, as well as “at least” 11 road signs along Park Boulevard from Jumbo Rocks campground to the Maze Trailhead.
Law enforcement rangers issued each of the visitors a federal violation notice for vandalizing, defacing, or destroying property. They each face a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa said in a statement.
“It diminishes the natural environment that millions of people travel the world to enjoy. The park is regularly tasked with removing graffiti of all types, using time and resources that could be better dedicated to other priorities.”
Reminder: All parties are considered innocent before proven guilty. Written by TMX staff, with additional reporting by Jack and Kitty Norton.
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