Think the Grinch but without any redeeming qualities. That's how one driver acted this holiday season, and he could be charged with a slew of crimes.
In Leavenworth, a charming town outside of Seattle, "some man-child scumbag ruin[ed] a popular tourist spot," a Redditor shared. The driver did donuts on the sledding hill at Front Street Park, crashing into a snowbank at least once while behaving like a maniac.
It appears the illegal stunt was done for social media clout, as two people photographed the vandalism late the night of Dec. 21, and it was reportedly posted on Facebook. Charges of reckless driving and second-degree malicious mischief are awaiting the driver of the Toyota Tundra, which had a Texas license plate. The alleged perpetrator was identified by law enforcement as Zachary Soltis, but he had not been arrested as of Dec. 30, when authorities said they had probable cause for an arrest.
Leavenworth is known for its Christmastown festivities, with almost 500,000 lights and various family-oriented winter entertainment dazzling visitors in the Bavarian-style alpine village. The damage to the park caused the city to close a 4,500-square-foot area.
"We will rise above it. We are Christmas Town USA, and we take pride in what we offer people," Leavenworth Mayor Carl Florea told KOMO News. "It is disappointing. This is an iconic hill. It is known all over the place."
Aside from dropping a proverbial loogie in everyone's hot chocolate, the criminal wrecked a public space that will have to be repaired. The dangerous driving nearly resulted in injuries to the accompanying camera crew, and there were other people around who could have been hurt as well, whether by flying mud and debris or the truck itself.
"It's pretty insane that people will film themselves committing crimes for Internet clout," one Redditor said.
A couple of other commenters channeled holiday songs with the lyrics, "Grandma got run over by a psycho" and, "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch."
Someone else wrote: "Man, I LOVE Leavenworth, it's a super fun town to visit, absolutely disgusting some a****** could do that and to such a chill and nice town. Seriously, Leavenworth in the winter is one of the best things in Washington state."
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