As a Christmas surprise, a “vandal” has again spray painted a rock at Bishop Peak to look like a watermelon. [Tribune]

Last month, the watermelon rock appeared for the first time, and the city of San Luis Obispo responded by removing the paint and launching a manhunt for the suspect. Despite intensive media coverage of the incident, San Luis Obispo police did not locate the suspect.

City officials also said if the cleanup effort would cost $1,000 or more, the suspect would face a felony charge, as opposed to a misdemeanor. The cleanup effort ended up totaling 17 hours of labor and less than $100 in materials, City Natural Resources Manager Robert Hill said.

Thus far, it is unclear when the redo of the watermelon rock appeared. Hikers noticed the new version of the painted watermelon on Christmas Day.

Unlike the previous version, the newly painted rock does not say “#BishopMelon.” It is also lacking some of the detail in the green paint that the original version had.

Following the first spray painting incident, opinion in San Luis Obispo County split for and against tolerating the “vandalism.”