Woman Pleads Guilty to Defacing Rocks at 7 National Parks

A San Diego woman who painted and drew on natural rock formations at national parks across the West and posted her work on social media pleaded guilty Monday to defacing government property.

Casey Nocket, 23, pleaded guilty in federal court in Fresno to seven misdemeanors for her 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.

Nocket was sentenced to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service. Judge Sheila K. Oberto also banned Nocket from lands administered by the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Army Corps of Engineers during the period of probation.

"The defendant's defacement of multiple rock formations showed a lack of respect for the law and our shared national treasures," acting U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert said in a statement.

Nocket posted photos of her various defacements under the Instagram handle "creepytings," which she also used to sign much of her work.

News of Nocket’s vandalism in September and October of 2014 quickly appeared on two hiking blogs, Modern Hiker and Calipidder, after Nocket’s Instagram feed was posted on Reddit.

That led to broad outrage on social media and at least one petition on Whitehouse.gov requesting that authorities pursue charges and the maximum punishment allowed.

The vandalism caused serious cleanup problems. The sandblasting and chemical stripping used to remove paint can cause even more damage to irreplaceable natural features.

At two national parks, Crater Lake and Death Valley in California, cleanup has yet to be completed nearly two years later. A later hearing will determine how much restitution Nocket must pay to help with the cleanup.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California outlined Nocket's damage at the seven parks:

· Sept. 23, 2014, Death Valley National Park in the Eastern District of California at the summit of Telescope Peak.
· Sept. 12, 2014, Rocky Mountain National Park in the District of Colorado
· Sept. 13, 2014, Colorado National Monument in the District of Colorado on the Monument Canyon Trail.
· Sept. 15, 2014, Canyonlands National Park in the District of Utah on the Neck Spring Trail.
· Sept. 17, 2014, Zion National Park in the District of Utah.
· Oct. 2, 2014, Yosemite National Park in the Eastern District of California at the beginning of the John Muir Trail.
· Oct. 7, 2014, Crater Lake National Park in the District of Oregon.

This post includes reporting from The Associated Press.