Arrest Warrant Issued For 71-Year-Old 'Mayor Of Pickleball'

DENVER (CBS4) - An arrest warrant has been issued for a 71-year-old man which alleges criminal mischief for using a permanent marker to indicate pickleball boundaries on a Denver recreational center floor. The game is similar to tennis, but with a smaller court, a different ball and racquet.

At a moment's notice a couple dozen people came out to play in support of one of their own upon learning that CBS4 was doing a story a about the case.

Some call Arlsan Guney the "mayor of pickleball." Now, you might say he is in a pickle.

Jan Devor is one of those supporters, "He doesn't have a criminal bone in his body. You would never meet a kinder more gentler person."

The incident took place several days earlier at the Central Park Recreation Center on Martin Luther King Jr. drive.

Hollynd Hoskins, Guney's attorney was emphatic.

"In no way did he intend to damage the floor. This is not a crime. This is not criminal mischief."

To make matters even worse Guney was barred indefinitely from the rec center. The police were notified that repairing the damage to the floor would cost $10,000.

The rec center had yellow markers available for the pickleball boundaries, but Guney had
argued those lines would move and they needed permanent ones.

Hoskins, Guney's attorney added, "What he was doing was attempting to help the rec center and the pickle ball community in marking the gym floors."

The City of Denver Parks Department issued a statement reading, "Defacing or damaging public property is unacceptable, a criminal offense and will not be tolerated in any of our public buildings or spaces."

Hoskins says Guney is willing to pay for any damage that is considered reasonable.