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Oregon surfers ignore virus closures, cited for trespassing

Deputies have stepped up patrolling that area and others following increased trespassing complaints
Credit: Oregon State Police
Otter Rock, Oregon

OTTER ROCK, Ore. — Two surfers in Oregon were cited Monday after climbing a chain-link fence to reach a beach that remains closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, authorities said.

The men were reported to authorities after they were seen Monday afternoon heading to the beach with surfboards in Otter Rock, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

A deputy saw them climbing back over the fence a couple hours later, the sheriff's office said.

The deputy cited 20-year-old Max Gause and 19-year-old Konnor Owens, both of Cottage Grove, Oregon, for criminal trespassing.

The men confirmed that a local resident told them the park was closed and that they would be trespassing if they did it, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies have stepped up patrolling that area and others following increased trespassing complaints and people gathering in violation of the state and local government's stay-at-home orders, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office said it has been taking the approach of education first and enforcement second.

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