PORT TOWNSEND — Three men were arrested after police say they were caught painting graffiti in a historical Fort Worden State Park concrete bunker when a patrol officer noticed an open gate.
Two Seattle men, Marc W. Rottman, 30, and Christopher P. Yarnell, 32, were taken into custody along with Brad M. Pearson, 42, of Silverdale early Saturday morning on counts of burglary and malicious mischief, police said Monday.
At about 1:30 a.m., Port Townsend Police Officer Jeremy Vergin was on patrol in the park and noticed the gate closing the road to Artillery Hill was open, according to a news release.
Knowing that was unusual, Vergin went up the road and noticed a faint light coming from Battery Tolles.
He then entered the bunker where he detected smells of aerosol spray paint.
After walking further inside, Vergin said he located Pearson with a large machete strapped to his belt and took him into custody.
A glass pipe and methamphetamine was subsequently found in his pocket, according to police.
Vergin was joined by Port Townsend Police Officer Jon Stuart and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies Derek Allen and Kevin Denney, who apprehended Rottman and Yarnell, and said they were found hiding with several bags of spray paint and tubes of liquid art paint.
Officers allege the men had painted the ceilings, walls and floors of at least two large rooms in the bunker.
All three men were booked into the Jefferson County jail in Port Hadlock for investigation of second-degree burglary and second-degree malicious mischief.
Pearson was also booked for possession of a controlled substance and use of drug paraphernalia.
Police said it is estimated that staff time and materials to repair the damage will cost in excess of $750.
All three appeared in court Monday. Yarnell and Rottman were released on personal recognizance, and Pearson posted $2,500 bail, according to the court calendar.
Rottman and Pearson are scheduled for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court, 1830 Jefferson St., while Yarnell’s arraignment takes place at 8:30 a.m. April 3.
Fort Worden regularly attracts graffiti vandals, with the last high profile arrest in Oct. 2013 when three teenagers were arrested for spray-painting a mural that covered three walls with orange paint and letters spelling “suerte,” which means “fortune” or “luck” in Spanish.
That occurred at Battery Kinzie near the Point Wilson Lighthouse, while Saturday’s arrest was in a battery located in the park’s hilly area.
While the park’s front gate is never locked, it is marked with several signs that it is closed at dusk except for registered campers.
The decommissioned concrete bunkers are open to the public during daylight hours and are a popular tourist destination.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
