2 Rescued Snowboarders Given Fines, Probation

GLENDALE — Two men convicted last week of knowingly snowboarding out of bounds during a February outing at Snow Crest were sentenced to two years’ probation and fined $810 each Friday by Glendale Municipal Judge Barbara Lee Burke.

But the issue of repaying the cost of searching for them, totaling $23,000, still looms for Claudio Maluje, 28, and Patrick Jenks, 24. Their disappearance set off a 24-hour-plus search effort that tracked and recovered the pair through ravines around the ski resort 30 miles north of Glendale.

“I’m satisfied with the sentence so far,” said Lonnie Felker, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the pair. “But the big question is whether they should pay the restitution. That’ll be decided next month.”

The restitution hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Maluje and Jenks could not be reached for comment Friday, but the two argued throughout their trial that they did not knowingly leave the designated ski area, a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Felker said he had offered to settle out of court with the pair but the men said they refused.

Maluje said during the trial that he and Jenks could have settled with Felker for a few hundred dollars, but refused because doing so would have meant pleading guilty.

“We didn’t do [the offense], so we didn’t settle,” he said.