Charges Filed Against 2 Rescued Snowboarders
Misdemeanor charges were filed Monday against two men who snowboarded out of bounds in the Angeles National Forest during a storm last month and had to be rescued.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Lonnie Felker said each snowboarder faces one count of “knowingly skiing in an area or on a ski trail which is closed to the public and which has signs posted indicating the closure.”
Patrick Jenks, 23, of Glendale, and Claudio Maluje, 28, of North Hollywood, got lost Feb. 22 while snowboarding at the Snow Crest Ski Resort. They spent a chilly night in a cave, where they used a $5 bill to start a fire, before being spotted by a helicopter crew about four miles south of the ski area.
Felker said the prosecution will ask that the men pay restitution for the cost of their rescue. The use of the helicopter cost $7,500, Felker said.
At a Feb. 25 news conference, Sheriff Sherman Block said the men “not only put themselves in danger, but the people who were sent to rescue them.”
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