San Diego Woman Sentenced for Defacing Rocks at 7 National Parks

Fresno, CA — A San Diego woman who drew and painted on rocks at seven national parks in four states — and took to social media sites such as Tumblr to document her work — was sentenced Monday to two years probation and 200 hours of community service.

Casey Nocket, 23, pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts for using acrylic paints and Sharpie markers to draw and paint on rock formations at parks in California, Oregon, Utah and Colorado, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Fresno.

As part of her sentence handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila K. Oberto, Nocket is also banned from visiting any national parks, forests or any other federally managed properties while she is on probation. 

According to court documents, Nocket damaged the rock formations over a 26-day period between Sept. 12, 2014 and Oct. 7, 2014, during which she posted numerous pictures of the drawings on her social media accounts.

"This case illustrates the important role that the public can play in identifying and sharing evidence of illegal behavior in parks," said Charles Cuvelier, chief of law enforcement for the National Park Service. "It is clear that the public cares deeply for the special places that the National Park Service represents, and the resolution of this case sends a message to those who would consider such inappropriate behavior going forward."

The parks where Nocket admitted carrying out the defacement include Death Valley National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado National Monument, Canyonlands National Park,  Zion National Park, Yosemite National Park and Crater Lake National Park.

Her sentence calls for her community service to be completed within the National Park Service or on other government property, with a "strong preference that her community service include graffiti removal," according to court documents.

Nocket was also ordered to pay restitution, the amount of which has yet to be determined.

"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 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 parks. They expect to complete cleanup efforts at Death Valley in the near future and at Crater Lake as weather permits."

Had she not entered a plea agreement, Nocket could have faced a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison for each misdemeanor count. 

(Images via the Department of Justice, Eastern District of California)