MIAMI (CNN/WIAT) — A woman has been arrested in Miami Beach, Fla. after witnesses say they saw her stomping on a protected sea turtle nest, police report.
Yaqun Lu, 41, was seen by other beachgoers on Saturday “jabbing at the sea turtle nest” with a wooden stake and “stomping all over the nest with her bare feet,” according to the arrest affidavit.
The area was closed off to the public with yellow tape and a sign that said, “Do not disturb sea turtle nest,” the affidavit said.
Lu, a Chinese citizen who gave police a home address in Michigan, faces a charge of marine turtle or egg molestation or harassment, per online court records.
Miami Beach serves as a nesting habitat for three species of sea turtles — Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback — between April and early November, its website says.
“Thankfully,” Miami Beach police said, “it appears the eggs were not damaged.”