Santa Cruz Surfer Arrested In SUP Vandalism

by The Editors on March 20, 2013

It’s hard not to laugh, but Donald Warren Darst, 62, of Santa Cruz, California was arrested Monday, March 18, 2013 for allegedly vandalizing a stand up paddler’s vehicle, according to a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Darst was arrested after the paddleboarder called 911 Saturday reporting that his vehicle had been vandalized for the third time while parked near 38th Avenue and East Cliff Drive, said deputy April Skalland of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. . . After the second vandalism — which the man suspected was “all related” to some surfers getting territorial and not liking paddleboarders — he installed a camera on his vehicle, Skalland said. . . She declined to outline exactly what the camera caught, but said the vandal’s image was clear enough and that the damage Saturday consisted of deep, 6- to 8-inch scratches along one side of the vehicle.

Now, Darst (who is reportedly a retired attorney) faces felony vandalism charges and the SUPer is even more stoked on sweeping around a spot where it appears at least one person doesn’t want him to sweep. Vandalism is obviously wrong, but damn those SUP dudes can be so unbearably annoying.

[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

i like to surf March 20, 2013 at 2:44 pm

I was there a couple weeks back on a trip and saw a white sprinter van parked near the point with a couple tires slashed.

Malachai_Hough March 20, 2013 at 2:46 pm

see this is the big problem with surf, gone way too cliche and up its own ass, paddleboarders are out there for fun not to OWN any wave/spot, i love how people start getting all preachy about surfing and respect for the sea etc but then cant even respect eachover, guess its the small d*ck syndrome jealous of the bigger wood haha.

JoeShred March 21, 2013 at 3:57 pm

Nothing against sweeping around the flats to get some exercise, but you want to talk about over-compensating for something MH? Generally, SUP ‘surfers’ are compensating for something–lack of skill, fitness, revenge, jealousy, experience, ignorance–I’m guessing you fall into one of those catagories.
Did it ever occur to you that this particular Santa Cruz SUP ‘surfer’ might just be a d•ck and is too clueless to know it?
Remember what Freud said? ‘Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.’

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