Man won't face felony charges for living in state park cave

YAKIMA, Wash. -- A homeless man who lived for a year in a self-dug cave at a state park in eastern Washington won't face charges.

The Yakima Herald reports that the state won't prosecute the 57-year-old man who was arrested recently on possible malicious mischief charges.

He was taken into custody when the cave was discovered in the Yakima Sportsman State Park but an investigation suggested that it wouldn't constitute a felony.

The man, who has a history of criminal convictions, could still face district or municipal penalties.

Washington State Patrol troopers who investigated said it took the man about a month to build the cave and that he had been living in it for about a year.