Guy who squatted at Yosemite National Park vacation dwelling for months receives 5 a long time in prison

A gentleman who squatted at a Yosemite Countrywide Park vacation property for months and trashed the residence was sentenced to five decades in prison for firearms charges, officials explained.

Devin Michael Cuellar, 29, is accused of unlawfully staying at a property in Wawona, California, for many months during the summer of 2021, a federal prison complaint says.

The property owner discovered that somebody was residing in the dwelling soon after she went to test on the assets in August 2021. She located home furniture, outfits, resources and garbage littering the kitchen, lawn, rest room, bedrooms and residing place, according to the criticism.

The property owner also identified drug paraphernalia and stolen things, together with applications and golf golf equipment, according to a felony criticism. She advised authorities the final time she had visited the house was in April or Might of that year and that she had still left it tidy and clear.

“The whole dwelling was cluttered and dirty. The bathtub had been remaining partially loaded with drinking water and the rest room contained massive clumps of hair,” the criticism says. “An ashtray containing quite a few cigarette butts and ashes was left on a table in a smaller bedroom adjacent to the toilet, and partially burned candles were being also there.”

Authorities searched the property and located mail that contained Cuellar’s name.

About a thirty day period later on, on Sept. 28, 2021, rangers patrolling the park noticed a sliding glass door of the dwelling was open. The rangers identified that various walls in the property experienced been vandalized with “derogatory epithets,” the grievance claims. The subsequent thirty day period, all through yet another research of the house, the property owner discovered a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition, in accordance to the complaint.

Cuellar knew the homeowner’s daughter but experienced not been presented authorization to keep in the house, the grievance says.

Very last year, he was indicted on several rates together with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, unlawful use of a controlled substance in possession of firearm and ammunition, destruction of property and possessing stolen house, court files point out. Because of a prior conviction of carjacking and possessing a managed material, he was prohibited from obtaining a firearm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office environment for the Eastern District of California said in a news release.

In May well, he pleaded responsible to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon in trade for the other fees staying dismissed.

Cuellar was sentenced Monday to five decades and 3 months in prison, the U.S. attorney’s workplace said. His legal professional did not right away reply to a ask for for remark on Thursday.