LEAVENWORTH, Wash. — A Texas man who pleaded guilty to vandalizing a park in Leavenworth last year was sentenced to 20 days in jail.
On Dec. 22, around 1 a.m., a truck was seen driving through the grass of Leavenworth’s Gazebo Park, doing donuts, spinning its tires and tearing up the ground.
With the ground being so muddy and icy, large ruts were created from the tire path.
The gazebo park is a popular spot with tourists and visitors to take pictures or walk across. There were also Christmas events planned at the Gazebo Park.
The park had to close for several weeks as a safety precaution.
“We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we work to restore the usability of our downtown park,” the city of Leavenworth wrote at the time of the shutdown.
Looking through pictures and videos of the incident, detectives were able to identify the man as Zachary Soltis of Texas.
Months later, he pleaded guilty to second-degree mischief, though he was initially charged with first-degree malicious mischief and reckless driving.
He was sentenced to 20 days in jail and ordered to pay $8,048 in restitution to the city. Soltis also has to complete 160 hours of community service, which the judge allowed him to complete in Texas.
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