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Online
This is ridiculous
Arrest? Felony? Potentially 3 years in Jail?
And 9K in damage?
This isn't something that a couple sprays and wipes of Windex would take care of?
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Arslan Guney, a 71-year-old Colorado grandfather, was a wanted man.
So on Thursday, Guney and his wife headed to police headquarters in Denver so he could turn himself in on an outstanding warrant for felony criminal mischief. Guney, a retired civil engineer with no criminal history, was facing a charge that could put him in state prison for as long as three years.
His crime? Using a permanent marker to draw 45 small marks on the gym floor at a public sports facility.
For years, Guney had visited the Central Park Recreation Center to play pickleball, a tennis-like game with ping-pong-like paddles that’s now one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. While many rec centers in Denver have pickleball lines painted on the courts, the gym at the Central Park facility does not.
In what his lawyer now calls “a complete misunderstanding,” Guney on March 14 used a permanent marker to indicate where parks and recreation staffers should plop down the removable yellow markings that had to be set up every Monday and Wednesday for pickleball play.
The Denver Parks and Recreation agency determined that was a crime. Administrators there banned Guney from parks facilities and contacted police, who issued an affidavit seeking a warrant for Guney’s arrest. Guney is accused of causing $9,344 worth of damage, which is what the parks department says it would cost to refinish the gym floor.
In a statement to The Washington Post, the department said it has a responsibility to Denver residents to protect city property.
“Defacing or damaging public property is unacceptable, a criminal offense, and will not be tolerated in any of our public buildings or spaces,” a spokesperson said.
Guney’s attorney, Hollynd Hoskins, said Guney is remorseful and willing to perform community service and cover any reasonable costs of repairs...............
Arrest? Felony? Potentially 3 years in Jail?
And 9K in damage?
This isn't something that a couple sprays and wipes of Windex would take care of?
===================================================
Arslan Guney, a 71-year-old Colorado grandfather, was a wanted man.
So on Thursday, Guney and his wife headed to police headquarters in Denver so he could turn himself in on an outstanding warrant for felony criminal mischief. Guney, a retired civil engineer with no criminal history, was facing a charge that could put him in state prison for as long as three years.
His crime? Using a permanent marker to draw 45 small marks on the gym floor at a public sports facility.
For years, Guney had visited the Central Park Recreation Center to play pickleball, a tennis-like game with ping-pong-like paddles that’s now one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. While many rec centers in Denver have pickleball lines painted on the courts, the gym at the Central Park facility does not.
In what his lawyer now calls “a complete misunderstanding,” Guney on March 14 used a permanent marker to indicate where parks and recreation staffers should plop down the removable yellow markings that had to be set up every Monday and Wednesday for pickleball play.
The Denver Parks and Recreation agency determined that was a crime. Administrators there banned Guney from parks facilities and contacted police, who issued an affidavit seeking a warrant for Guney’s arrest. Guney is accused of causing $9,344 worth of damage, which is what the parks department says it would cost to refinish the gym floor.
In a statement to The Washington Post, the department said it has a responsibility to Denver residents to protect city property.
“Defacing or damaging public property is unacceptable, a criminal offense, and will not be tolerated in any of our public buildings or spaces,” a spokesperson said.
Guney’s attorney, Hollynd Hoskins, said Guney is remorseful and willing to perform community service and cover any reasonable costs of repairs...............
