The first time Michael Banks got high, he was romantic. The second time he got high, he was arrested.
On Thursday morning, the 27-year-old Fresno man climbed up Morro Rock, FaceTimed his girlfriend and asked her to marry him.
The good news is that she said yes.
The bad news is that he got stuck on the 576ft historic landmark in central California’s Morro Bay and had to be rescued by helicopter from the guano-speckled peregrine falcon habitat.
Banks was cited by California state park police for climbing Morro Rock, which is a misdemeanor, city manager Sam Taylor said. But it was Morro Bay police who later arrested the foolhardy Romeo.
Banks later returned to the scene of his minor crime and proceeded to commit a more major one.
“The harbor department called the police to notify us that someone was complaining,” Taylor said. Banks “was acting under the influence”.
He was eventually found to be in possession of methamphetamine and arrested for “being under the influence of a controlled substance”.
Video of the rescue posted by the city of Morro Bay on its Facebook page went viral. But while internet viewers were charmed by the cliff proposal, city officials were not. Accompanying the video was a stern message:
“The gentleman will be billed for the chopper ride and other related costs. We are glad all involved are OK, and appreciate the hard work of our first responders. Climbing Morro Rock is illegal and dangerous. We hope folks will choose to view it from below, saving themselves and our fire responders time and money and protecting everyone’s safety.”
Taylor said climbers are rescued from the rock several times a year, although few incidents get so much attention.
The only people allowed to climb Morro Rock are members of the Chumash tribe. The ancient volcanic plug is part of the Chumash ancestral grounds and members of the tribe “are allowed to summit once a year for a religious ceremony”, Taylor said.
Not, however, a wedding.
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