A man accused of breaking the branches off of trees in Golden Gate Park was charged Wednesday with three misdemeanor counts of vandalism, prosecutors said.
Ken Frisch, a 65-year-old city resident, was arrested about 5 p.m. Tuesday near Fulton Street and Chain of Lakes Drive East after he allegedly tore branches off of trees, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Frisch was ordered to appear in court Nov. 19 to face the three misdemeanor counts, which carry a maximum penalty of one year in jail, Assistant District Attorney Alex Bastian said.
The charges are related to the Tuesday incident, as well as prior incidents. Police arrested Frisch on July 10 on suspicion of damaging trees in the park. He was also cited that day for feeding squirrels and a raccoon and for altering a park path, police said.
Recreation and Park Department spokesman Elton Pon said Frisch has a history of harassing gardeners but that he is not believed to be responsible for more serious vandalism that has damaged more than 200 trees in the park since September 2012.
