A 41-year-old woman was arrested for messing with sea turtle eggs in Miami, Florida. Yaqun Lu was seen by police officers and bystanders entering a closed off area with wooden stakes and yellow tape where the sea turtle eggs were, reports local 10. There was a sign that said, “Do not disturb sea turtle nest,” according to the arrest affidavit. Officers said she grabbed a wooden stake then proceeded to dig up the turtle eggs. Furthermore, she walked over the nest with her bare feet and stomped all over the nest.

POLICE: MBPD arrested a woman this morning seen “jabbing at a sea turtle nest and stomping all over the nest.” Thankfully, it appears the eggs were not damaged.



Sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1 through October 31. #MBShareTheShore



👉: https://t.co/hxSdKy5rZk pic.twitter.com/TmutaApzsJ — Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) June 15, 2019

Police arrested Lu on Saturday, June 15, 2019, and charged her with “harassing/molesting a marine turtle or eggs.” She faces a heavy fine if found guilty of the third-degree felony in Florida. She is being held on a $5,000 bond.

Yaqun Lu is a Chinese citizen but has a home in Hudsonville, Michigan. She is represented by a public defender.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was called to the scene of the crime to investigate the health of the eggs. Although Lu’s bare feet rampage seemed like it would have destroyed the eggs, luckily, none of the eggs were damaged.

Sea turtles are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 and Florida’s Marin Turtle Protection Act. It is illegal to touch or harm their eggs. Depending on the species, sea turtles are listed as endangered or threatened. Sea turtles can be handled for educational and scientific purposes only by those licensed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Nesting season for sea turtles begins on May 1 and goes through October 31.