Man, 29, who squatted in Yosemite National Park vacation home for MONTHS while armed with sawed-off shotgun and ammo is sentenced to five years in prison
A 29-year-old man who squatted in a private home in Yosemite National Park for months was sentenced to more than five years in prison on weapons charges, federal prosecutors said.
Devin Michael Cuellar was convicted to five years and three months on Monday after he was convicted of criminal possession of a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition while squatting on private property, the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California said.
From May to September 2021, Cuellar lived at the home on Hollar Road in Wawona, a community in Yosemite National Park.
The property owner contacted authorities in August of that same year to report that her home had been vandalized and drug paraphernalia and trash were strewn everywhere. When police conducted a search, they found firearms and other stolen items, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said Cuellar was previously convicted of carjacking and possession of a controlled substance for sale and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A 29-year-old man who squatted in a private home in Yosemite National Park was convicted this week on weapons charges and will now spend more than five years behind bars, federal prosecutors said.
A scenic view of Yosemite National Park
While the exact location or size of the property has not been disclosed, homes in the area range from $279,000 to $7.9 million. The Wawona Hotel is one of California’s original mountain resort hotels, located 27 miles from Yosemite Valley on Wawona Road
While the exact location or size of the property has not been disclosed, homes in the area range from $279,000 to $7.9 million.
The average sales price in the Wawona area averages $1.09 million, according to this report Redfin Real Estate Group.
Cuellar is from Oakhurst, a community about 30 minutes from Yosemite National Park.
The investigation was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program launched by the DOJ in May 2021 to reduce violent crime.
The homeowner, whose name was not released, contacted authorities in August 2021 to report that her home had been broken into and vandalized.
She told investigators she was last at the property in April, prosecutors said.
Court documents revealed that when authorities searched the property, they found mail addressed to Cuellar, along with items that had been stolen and also discovered in the home.
In October 2021, the property owner contacted authorities again, this time to report that a shotgun, which did not belong to her, had been found in a closet in her home, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, Cuellar denied being in Wawona and told authorities he had not been there “in years,” the news station reported.
But it was later revealed that a minor female accomplice of Cuellar’s, who was interviewed, admitted to investigators that she knew the daughter of the property owner and that she was staying at the home with Cuellar.
It is unclear whether the accomplice was also charged for the crime.
According to court documents, Cuellar denied he was in the Wawona community in Yosemite National Park (pictured) and told authorities he had not been there “in years,” the news outlet reported.
The case was part of an investigation by the National Park Service and supporting agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Other agencies include the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Forensic Services and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.
In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), a national initiative to reduce violent crime.
The program brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, with the goal of making neighborhoods safer for everyone.