23-year-old Casey Nocket is a social media moron just like every other 23-year-old out there. I learned my lesson back in 2013, but Casey here has just been introduced to the horrific witch hunt that happens when social media usage goes wrong. You see, over a 26-day period in 2014 she traveled to seven different national parks, and at many of these parks she drew her own personal social media handle “Creepytings” and then documented her “art” on Instagram:
As I hope you’ve guessed, defacing the rocks at a national park is a crime, making Casey one of the dumbest criminals around for uploading the proof of the crime for everyone to see on the Internet. “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 Philip A. Talbert explained to the Los Angeles Times, “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.”
Casey, however, didn’t see her graffiti as a crime:
In one post from the time, she wrote: ‘It’s art, not vandalism. I am an artist.’
The case also prompted a White House petition demanding she be prosecuted with more than 10,000 people signing the document.
After Nocket admitted causing damage in the national parks, Charles Cuvelier, chief of law enforcement for the National Park Service said: ‘This case illustrates the important role that the public can play in identifying and sharing evidence of illegal behavior in parks.
‘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.(via)
After her subsequent arrest, Casey was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and is required to pay a monetary fine that will be determined in December. Her Instagram has since been deleted, however screenshots of the photos she uploaded from the national parks remain circulating on the Internet:
[H/T Daily Mail]