Woman banned from national parks during 2-year probation for defacing rock formations

Graffiti on the Canyonlands in Utah. (National Parks Service)

A San Diego woman who pleaded guilty to defacing several treasured national rock formations at national parks across the west and was sentenced to two years of probation was also banned from all national parks and federal lands during her probation.

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila K. Oberto said Casey Nocket, 23, will also have to pay some kind of restitution as well.

Nocket pleaded guilty in a federal court in Fresno, Calif. earlier this month to seven misdemeanors for the autumn 2014 painting spree at seven national parks, including Yosemite in California and Zion in Utah. She also admitted to defacing rocks at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

She used Instagram and Tumblr to document her trip and her graffiti-like work, which led to broad outrage on social media.

“The defendant’s defacement of multiple rock formations showed a lack of respect for the law and our shared national treasures,” said acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. “The National Park Service has worked hard to restore the rock formations to their natural state, completing clean-up efforts in five of the seven national parks.”

“They expect to complete clean-up efforts at Death Valley and at Crater Lake national parks as weather permits.”

Charles Cuvelier, chief of law enforcement for the National Park Service, told the LA Times that the case underlines the role the public can play in sharing images of illegal behavior.

“The resolution of this case sends a message to those who would consider such inappropriate behavior going forward,” he told the paper.

The vandalism in September and October of 2014 caused serious cleanup problems at the national parks. The sandblasting and chemical stripping used to remove paint can cause even more damage to irreplaceable natural features.

At two parks, Crater Lake and Death Valley in California, the cleaning has yet to be completed nearly two years later.

Last month, actress Vanessa Hudgens paid $1,000 in restitution for carving a heart into a red rock wall during a trip to Sedona, Ariz.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.