SEATTLE — A former Sparkman Cellars employee who caused $300,000 in damage by draining thousands of gallons of wine at the Woodinville winery has pleaded guilty and was sentenced Wednesday to restitution but no jail time.
Mark Griswold admitted to criminal trespass in the first degree and malicious mischief in the third degree. A judge ordered him to pay nearly $50,000 in restitution, undergo a mental health evaluation within 30 days, and stay away from the winery’s owners and staff.
Prosecutors said Griswold committed the act of vandalism just before Thanksgiving 2023, about 14 months after leaving his job at the family-owned winery. Surveillance footage showed him wearing a mask and using an employee access code to enter the barrel room. In six minutes, he opened valves on two tanks, releasing roughly 2,300 gallons of wine before slipping out the back door…