DENVER (KDVR) — An arrest warrant was issued for a 71-year-old man on March 17 for a felony charge of criminal mischief after he allegedly caused $10,000 in damage to a recreation court.
Arslan Guney is accused of making 45 marks with a permanent marker on the basketball court at the Central Park Rec Center to identify the boundaries on a court used for pickleball.
Denver Parks and Recreation said the incident took place on March 14.
Staff at the Central Park Rec Center said that Guney asked for a permanent marker in the morning to write something. Later on, Guney was spotted on security cameras marking the basketball court with the marker.
A supervisor at the rec center and a maintenance worker tried to remove the marker from the court with a solvent, but the solvent also removed the finish from the floor. The supervisor said that it would cost an estimated $10,000 to strip the floor and refinish it.
Prior to the incident, staff at the rec center met with Guney and other pickleball players to talk about the pickleball program. During the meeting, parks and rec staff said that it would not be adding permanent lines on the court for pickleball.
Guney then agreed to provide a map to help staff set up the pickleball court when there was adequate staffing to do so, according to a timeline from the Central Park Rec Center.
Guney has been suspended from all Denver Rec Centers indefinitely.
If convicted, Guney faces 1-3 years in jail for criminal mischief.