Feds chase criminal case against artist who marred rocks in parks

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**Dreadwinter**

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_26787016/feds-chase-criminal-case-against-artist-who-marred

She calls it art, proudly signing her urban-influenced sketches and posting photos of them online, like a sort of Banksy in the wild.

The National Park Service calls it criminal.

The agency on Thursday announced it was investigating 21-year-old Casey Nocket's recent cross-country jaunt during which she allegedly painted faces and sketches on rock formations in as many as 10 national parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park.

The agency, which did not name Nocket, said its investigation spans the nation's most iconic Western parks. Investigators said the woman's vandalism was found in Yosemite and Death Valley national parks in California, Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Zion and Canyonlands parks in Utah. National Parks Traveler on Thursday posted a photo of Nocket's trademark scribble inside Rocky Mountain National park.

The Park Service was awaiting confirmation of vandalism in Grand Canyon, Sequoia Kings, Joshua Tree and Bryce national parks.

Park officials said in a statement it takes seriously the issue of vandalism, which can be a felony when committed in a national park.

"National parks exist to preserve and protect our nation's natural, cultural and historic heritage for both current and future generations. Vandalism is a violation of the law, and it also damages and sometimes destroys often irreplaceable treasures that belong to all Americans," Park Service spokesman Jeffrey Olson said in a statement.

Nocket, who hails from Highland, N.Y., posted her coarse scribbles — sometimes even photos of herself sketching — on her Instagram and Tumblr accounts under the name Creepy-Tings.

After a backpacker posted photos of a Nocket painting along a trail near Yosemite's Vernal Falls on the website Reddit, the site's savvy Internet sleuths tracked the photo to Nocket's social media accounts. Steve Yu, a special agent with the Park Service in Yosemite, saw the post and launched an investigation.

Yu declined to comment when reached Thursday.

The Internet rage grew with Nocket's apparent lack of remorse.

A painting she posted on her Instagram account of a blue-haired lady on a rock overlooking Oregon's Crater Lake prodded one of her followers to ask if she was using paint or chalk. Nocket responded that it was acrylic: "I know, I'm a bad person."

In response to angry posts on her Tumblr site ( creepytings.tumblr.com) early Thursday, she defended the paintings, saying, "It's art, not vandalism. I am an artist."

Nocket's Instagram account was deleted as of Thursday, but sites like modernhiker.com, which broke the story of the vandalism, were able to post all her Instagram photos, including one of her mid-sketch in Canyonlands.

Nocket's hubris — posting her crimes online — has enabled investigators as they build a case. And it's not the first time a Web search has uncovered vandalism of public lands.

The two Boy Scout troop leaders who posted a YouTube video of themselves toppling 170 million-year-old hoodoo rock formations in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park in 2013 were fined and sentenced to probation this spring.

Casey Schreiner, who on Tuesday posted the Nocket story on modernhiker.com, a site he founded in 2006, said the passionate outcry over Nocket's paintings likely stems from the "slap on the wrist" earned by the Goblin topplers.

"Everyone seemed pretty mad about that," Schreiner said. "This is definitely part of a broader problem inside parks of all kinds across the country."

An online petition at whitehouse.gov had collected more than 2,220 signatures Thursday afternoon, urging authorities to pursue "the most serious charges" and pleading "please don't allow her to receive a slap."

Vandal news from national parks was common in 2013, with hoodlums defacing cacti in Saguaro National Park, painting over petroglyphs in Joshua Tree National Park and scribbling graffiti near a popular rock climbing area in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The financially strapped Park Service is struggling to address a growing backlog of deferred maintenance, and the agency recently proposed a fee increase to help offset rising costs.

"When you don't pay, this is what happens. There are not enough rangers on the trails to patrol and prevent these kinds of things," said Schreiner, noting that Nocket's photos indicate most of her scrawlings are just off well-traveled trails.

Ed Nocket said his niece is a "good girl." While he knew she was touring the West with friends, he said he was not aware when reached Thursday that his niece's poorly placed paintings had raised such ire.

"She's got a lot of talent," he said. "She's not seeing that she is doing something that is not condoned. She probably has a different approach to it."

Thoughts about how the park service is handling this?

I believe if she had used something that would have washed away and was environmentally friendly, like maybe chalk, I would be perfectly fine with it.

**Ouze**

I hope she goes to jail. I'd have been fine with probation for chalk but she seems like a real toolbox.

**Nevelon**

Our national parks are there for everyone to enjoy, not at one person’s canvas. If she was working in chalk, or some other transitory medium, I’d not have a big problem with it (but still a few qualms). But what she’s doing is vandalism. It might be art at the same time, but that doesn’t change the core of what she’s doing.

**Frazzled**

Ouze wrote:
I hope she goes to jail. I'd have been fine with probation for chalk but she seems like a real toolbox.

Put her under the jail. Some of these rock formations are fragile. regardless, they are for the people and the rest of time, not for her. I don't care what material she's using.

**cincydooley**

And that approach is wrong.

This is the kind of stuff that happens due to bulldozer parents that don't require their kids take responsibility for anything.

Hope she goes to prison.

**Dreadclaw69**

"It's art, not vandalism. I am an artist."

Let me guess, we just wouldn't understand....

These rocks have formed over hundreds of thousands of years, they are there for the enjoyment and appreciation of all. Not for some selfish individual courting infamy to deface

**KingCracker**

This is along the lines of those idiots that make threats to the president or Whatever on social media, and then when arrested say it was just a social experiment to prove such and such.

FFS I wish people could just take responsibility for being/doing stupid things.

**Desubot**

Ouze wrote:
I hope she goes to jail. I'd have been fine with probation for chalk but she seems like a real toolbox.

Ditto.

I wonder if they could power hose or even simple green it off since its acrylic.

**TheCustomLime**

Desubot wrote:
Ouze wrote:
I hope she goes to jail. I'd have been fine with probation for chalk but she seems like a real toolbox.

Ditto.

I wonder if they could power hose or even simple green it off since its acrylic.

It may damage or destroy these rock formations. As a person who very much appreciates these rocks I find her acts, and attitude, quite abhorrent and I hope they throw the book at her. I have no respect for vandalism even in the name of "art".

**Aesop the God Awful**

I blame patriarchy.

Seriously though, I hope she gets sentenced for this and that they restore those rocks properly.

**jreilly89**

Throw the book at her! No, literally throw a book at her, a dictionary book. Then putt the spoiled brat in jail.

**Desubot**

Aesop the God Awful wrote:
I blame patriarchy.

Seriously though, I hope she gets sentenced for this and that they restore those rocks properly.

Actually i think id prefer her to be sentenced to clean EVERY single vandalized rock with a tooth brush and soap

Nothing more brutal for an "artist" i think

**marv335**

Present her with a toothbrush and a bottle of simple green.
She spends every day cleaning the paint off with no time off until every scrap of paint is gone.
Then present her with the bill for the supervision it will take to do it properly.
Or, sling her in jail until it wears off naturally.....

**hotsauceman1**

I blame the cisgendered, hetero normal white male privilege

**MWHistorian**

As an artist, I call BS on this lady. Being an artist doesn't give me some inherent right to do whatever I want.

**TheCustomLime**

Or, alternatively, have an open house for other "artists" to come in and repaint her home. I'm sure that as a learned, well traveled artist that she'd appreciate the wondrous murals.

**Chongara**

Eh.

On the one hand, mucking up the national parks is kind is a pretty dickish move. The woman also seems like kind of an ass.

On the other hand it is just paint on rocks from what I've seen and is likely easily remedied with soap and scrubbing, nothing that's permanent damage in a real meaningful sense in the word. On my scale of things to get outraged about relatively small acts of vandalism rank pretty low.

At the end of the day, she isn't some raging threat to society and I don't think the world's going to come out a better place for having somebody in jail. If I was running things I'd probably go with a ban and some hefty fines.

**SilverMK2**

Where was Yogi when all this was taking place?!?

**Chongara**

SilverMK2 wrote:
Where was Yogi when all this was taking place?!?

He starved to death once people stopped going on picnics regularly.

**DarkTraveler777**

Chongara wrote:
Eh.

On the one hand, mucking up the national parks is kind is a pretty dickish move. The woman also seems like kind of an ass.

On the other hand it is just paint on rocks from what I've seen and is likely easily remedied with soap and scrubbing, nothing that's permanent damage in a real meaningful sense in the word. On my scale of things to get outraged about relatively small acts of vandalism rank pretty low.

At the end of the day, she isn't some raging threat to society and I don't think the world's going to come out a better place for having somebody in jail. If I was running things I'd probably go with a ban and some hefty fines.

I get where you are coming from but I think a heavy handed response is the way to go if only to deter other "artists" from following her lead. A heavy, heavy fine, and jail time along with a lifetime ban from any national park would be my course of action.

She used acrylic paint, that will likely require use of solvents or pressure washing to remove from the rock and could result in permanent damage, but the next jackass might use spray paint or some other medium that is even more damaging.

I am also shocked to read that the Boy Scout leaders who vandalized those rock formations got off so lightly. Let heads roll (figuratively) and maybe people will think twice before fething around with natural landmarks.

**Chongara**

DarkTraveler777 wrote:
Chongara wrote:
Eh.

On the one hand, mucking up the national parks is kind is a pretty dickish move. The woman also seems like kind of an ass.

On the other hand it is just paint on rocks from what I've seen and is likely easily remedied with soap and scrubbing, nothing that's permanent damage in a real meaningful sense in the word. On my scale of things to get outraged about relatively small acts of vandalism rank pretty low.

At the end of the day, she isn't some raging threat to society and I don't think the world's going to come out a better place for having somebody in jail. If I was running things I'd probably go with a ban and some hefty fines.

I get where you are coming from but I think a heavy handed response is the way to go if only to deter other "artists" from following her lead. A heavy, heavy fine, and jail time along with a lifetime ban from any national park would be my course of action.

She used acrylic paint, that will likely require use of solvents or pressure washing to remove from the rock and could result in permanent damage, but the next jackass might use spray paint or some other medium that is even more damaging.

I am also shocked to read that the Boy Scout leaders who vandalized those rock formations got off so lightly. Let heads roll (figuratively) and maybe people will think twice before fething around with natural landmarks.

I'm not to keen on making examples of human beings over rocks. In fact I'm not to keen on making an example of people in general. In order for me to be "On Board" with jail time over this she'd had to have caused some pretty serious irreparable damage to something unique, which just doesn't seem to be the case here.

**Frazzled**

I am. Some of those rock formations are impressive. Once destroyed they are gone forever.

**DarkTraveler777**

The crime has been done, and the worthiness of the rocks is subjective, but I am more interested in "the next time" and if people think they can get away with leaving their mark on our nation's protected resources, well, I'd like to discourage that behavior. With a boot to the throat if needs be.

**Relapse**

It's a bit of a mixed message when jackasses like the ones who drive bolts into arches and swing from them are celebrated, though.

**Lockark**

What a jerk.

**Prestor Jon**

Chongara wrote:
DarkTraveler777 wrote:
Chongara wrote:
Eh.

On the one hand, mucking up the national parks is kind is a pretty dickish move. The woman also seems like kind of an ass.

On the other hand it is just paint on rocks from what I've seen and is likely easily remedied with soap and scrubbing, nothing that's permanent damage in a real meaningful sense in the word. On my scale of things to get outraged about relatively small acts of vandalism rank pretty low.

At the end of the day, she isn't some raging threat to society and I don't think the world's going to come out a better place for having somebody in jail. If I was running things I'd probably go with a ban and some hefty fines.

I get where you are coming from but I think a heavy handed response is the way to go if only to deter other "artists" from following her lead. A heavy, heavy fine, and jail time along with a lifetime ban from any national park would be my course of action.

She used acrylic paint, that will likely require use of solvents or pressure washing to remove from the rock and could result in permanent damage, but the next jackass might use spray paint or some other medium that is even more damaging.

I am also shocked to read that the Boy Scout leaders who vandalized those rock formations got off so lightly. Let heads roll (figuratively) and maybe people will think twice before fething around with natural landmarks.

I'm not to keen on making examples of human beings over rocks. In fact I'm not to keen on making an example of people in general. In order for me to be "On Board" with jail time over this she'd had to have caused some pretty serious irreparable damage to something unique, which just doesn't seem to be the case here.

I'm not too keen on people who feel they can commit crimes with impunity becausethey believe they're entitled to act without impulse control or respect for others. If it's not yours you don't have the right to put paint on it. That's not a hard concept to grasp. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

**Nevelon**

The punishment should fit the crime. Vandalism is not violent. I don’t think we need to add her to our overcrowded prison system for this. I do think she needs to get a hefty fine and a couple consecutive life sentences doing community service.

**Chongara**

Prestor Jon wrote:

I'm not too keen on people who feel they can commit crimes with impunity becausethey believe they're entitled to act without impulse control or respect for others. If it's not yours you don't have the right to put paint on it. That's not a hard concept to grasp. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Right. I'm not saying the behavior should be without consequences. I just don't think the appropriate response to this is jail time. Fine her 100-200k, have her scrub the rocks, with maybe another 500-750hrs misc community service, and a 10 year ban from the parks.

I just don't get what good is going to come out locking her in a tiny room for several years. The only thing close to a coherent argument is deterrence, and the effect that would have is anywhere from completely speculative to entirely unmeasurable.

**Frazzled**

Nevelon wrote:
The punishment should fit the crime. Vandalism is not violent. I don’t think we need to add her to our overcrowded prison system for this. I do think she needs to get a hefty fine and a couple consecutive life sentences doing community service.

Most crimes are not violent. That doesn't matter a whit.

**Prestor Jon**

Chongara wrote:
Prestor Jon wrote:

I'm not too keen on people who feel they can commit crimes with impunity becausethey believe they're entitled to act without impulse control or respect for others. If it's not yours you don't have the right to put paint on it. That's not a hard concept to grasp. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Right. I'm not saying the behavior should be without consequences. I just don't think the appropriate response to this is jail time. Fine her 100-200k, have her scrub the rocks, with maybe another 500-750hrs misc community service, and a 10 year ban from the parks.

I just don't get what good is going to come out locking her in a tiny room for several years. The only thing close to a coherent argument is deterrence, and the effect that would have is anywhere from completely speculative to entirely unmeasurable.

She'll be charged, she can retain legal counsel and see what happens. Jail time isn't a sure thing but this was a crime that needs to be prosecuted. It says right in the OP article that the guys that toppled the rock formations didn't get jail time so Nocket might not either. I'm fine with whatever punishment she gets, I have no sympathy for her, she chose to do wrong.