German tourists fired paintballs at signs in Joshua Tree National Park with slingshots: officials

A trio of German tourists allegedly fired yellow paintballs at nearly a dozen signs in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend, officials said. The three visitors used a paintball gun and slingshots to also target bathrooms and dumpsters in the California natural wonder — conduct that can land offenders in jail for as much as six

A trio of German tourists allegedly fired yellow paintballs at nearly a dozen signs in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend, officials said.

The three visitors used a paintball gun and slingshots to also target bathrooms and dumpsters in the California natural wonder — conduct that can land offenders in jail for as much as six months, the National Park Service said in a Thursday news release.

“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” said Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa.

“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.”

A park ranger walking around the Jumbo Rocks Campground on Sunday initially spotted yellow paintball splatter on different signs and facilities. When more rangers reached that area of the park, they found a slingshot in plain view inside a vehicle, the park service said.

Three German tourists allegedly fired yellow paintballs at nearly a dozen signs in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend.
Three German tourists allegedly fired yellow paintballs at nearly a dozen signs in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend. National Park Service

The three Germans admitted to firing the paintballs the night before and a search of the vehicle turned up three slingshots, a paintball gun and paintballs, officials said, adding that they are “legally considered weapons and are prohibited in National Park Service-administered lands.”

At least 11 roadway signs in Joshua Tree were vandalized with the yellow paint, the park service said.

The tourists were all issued a federal violation notice of vandalizing, defacing and destroying property.

“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” said Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa.
“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” said Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The violation can lead to a maximum fine of $5,000 and a maximum jail sentence of six months.

Park staff are working to clean up the paintball splatter. 

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
BREAKING NEWSMicrosoft and Xbox users in Britain left unable to access their accounts as tech giant is hit by another global outage
Read More

BREAKING NEWSMicrosoft and Xbox users in Britain left unable to access their accounts as tech giant is hit by another global outage

Microsoft 365 and Xbox users have been affected by another outage problem today with the tech giant announcing it is investigating poor performance issues with its services and features. The problems come less than two weeks after Microsoft servers experienced a global outage that grounded thousands of flights and disrupted banks and emergency services. UK users
Fury of driver dressed as sci-fi character Predator as police seize £15,000 customised e-scooter in roads crackdown
Read More

Fury of driver dressed as sci-fi character Predator as police seize £15,000 customised e-scooter in roads crackdown

A 'predator' impersonator is furious after the authorities seized his £15,000 custom e-scooter, in a major roads crackdown.  The joint operation between the Met Police and Westminster City Council, saw around 50 vehicles snatched off the streets, including a supercar worth £250,000 and the sci-fi characters ride, which boasted a with custom paint job and skull decorations.