Vandal banned from 20% of U.S. following online tips
File photo of Grand Canyon National Park.
Digital Reporter
Thursday, June 23, 2016, 4:57 PM - A graffiti artist has been banned from all U.S. national parks and other federal land, making up more than 20% of the country, for acts of vandalism after members of the online community Reddit helped authorities identify her.
Casey Nocket, 23, has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service, 24 months probation and may have to pay up to $1,000 in fines for drawing huge faces in acrylic paint, which is notoriously difficult to clean off, in national parks in California, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.
She pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of damaging government property Monday.
Her acts of vandalism were conducted over the course of a month in 2014. Each picture she drew was tagged with the moniker "Creepytings", which is the same name as Nocket's Tumblr and Instagram accounts.
She proudly posted photos of her artwork to her social media accounts, which attracted a lot of attention -- mainly negative.
Once the story started making news rounds, Casey Schreiner took screenshots of Nocket's work and posted them to his site Modern Hiker, allowing them to live online forever.
“The American national parks are really, really special,” Schreiner told the Guardian.
“And people have very strong attachment to these places. For a lot of people, visiting these parks has a very deep impact on who you become as a person. So for a lot of us, seeing these places vandalized feels like a kick in the gut, and it still feels like that.”
Screengrab taken from Nocket's social media accounts, via Modern Hiker.
When members of the content-sharing community Reddit began discussing what to do about Nocket, National Parks Service investigator Steve Yu took notice.
Yu contacted Schreiner, who shared his screen grabs with investigators, who in turn used Reddit to find additional evidence against Nocket.
Authorities say social media was a key factor in locating Nocket, who has since deleted her online accounts.
Screengrab taken from Nocket's social media accounts, via Modern Hiker.
Clean-up efforts for Death Valley and Crater Lake will begin shortly, weather permitting.
Charles Cuvelier, chief of law enforcement for the National Park Service told UPI the case outlines the vital role the public plays in keeping public spaces safe and beautiful.
"The resolution of this case sends a message to those who would consider such inappropriate behavior going forward," he told the news agency.
Sources: The Guardian | Modern Hiker | UPI | Reddit
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