Chinese woman, 41, is arrested for after ‘stomping on sea turtle’s nest’ on Miami Beach

A Chinese woman was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida on Saturday for allegedly stomping on a nest of sea turtle eggs.

Yaqun Lu, 41, was charged with marine turtle or egg molestation or harassment after the incident. 

Witnesses and Miami Beach police officers said they saw Lu ‘jabbing at the sea turtle nest’ with a wooden stake and ‘stomping all over the nest with her bare feet.’

‘Thankfully, it appears the eggs were not damaged,’ Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez told the Miami Herald.

Lu gave officials her listed address in Hudsonville, Michigan.

Three species of sea turtles – the Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback – commonly nest on Miami beaches from April through November, according to the Florida Fish and Widlife Conservation Commission.

Witnesses and officers reported seeing Lu poking a sea turtles nest with a stick and stomping on it with her bare feet 

Three species of sea turtles – the Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback – commonly nest on Miami beaches from April through November

Authorities had cordoned off the nesting area in the beach’s 500 block with a double perimeter of wooden stakes encircled with yellow tape and marked the area with a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign. 

Florida law and the US Endangered Species Act of 1973 makes it a felony to hurt or harass sea turtles or their eggs. 

Authorities notified the Chinese consulate in Houston about Lu’s alleged crime. She was released from jail after paying 10 percent of a $75,000 bond, court records show. 

A court order was issued barring Lu from returning to the turtle nesting area on Miami Beach.  She’s scheduled to be arraigned at 9am on July 15.