German tourists have been charged after they admitted to destroying property and buildings in Joshua Tree National Park, according to a press release from the National Parks Service (NPS) and a report in The New York Times.
A park ranger on patrol early on the morning of August 4 discovered “fresh yellow paintball splatters on buildings and signs.” Other rangers were called to investigate and, while searching the area, discovered a vehicle with a slingshot in “plain view.”
When questioned, the owners of the car reportedly admitted to firing paintballs the previous night using a slingshot and a paintball gun. Rangers searched the car and during their investigation seized three slingshots, a paintball gun, paintballs and “other related equipment” as evidence. Both paintball guns and slingshots are prohibited on National Park Service-managed lands.
“Rangers also learned that at least 11 road signs along Park Boulevard from the Jumbo Rocks campground to the Maze Trailhead, two miles from the park’s west entrance, had been shot with yellow paintballs,” the statement said.
The press release, which did not name the tourists, said they were from Germany and were charged with “vandalism, damage or destruction of property,” an offense that carries fines of up to $5,000 and up to six months in prison.
“Defacement or alteration of the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” said Jeff Filosa, assistant park ranger. “It damages the natural environment that millions of people around the world come to enjoy. The park must regularly remove graffiti of all kinds, which takes time and resources that could be better spent on other priorities.”
Maintenance crews at Joshua Tree National Park are currently conducting cleanup efforts in the affected areas. Back in 2019, vandals caused “irreparable damage” to the park during a government shutdown, leaving Joshua Tree inadequately monitored.
