A woman has been fined for hitting a golf ball into the Grand Canyon earlier this year, then hurling her golf club after it. The influencer posted the footage on TikTok. It was then circulated on social media, where she was widely condemned for littering and endangering people walking below.
The incident was also brought to the attention of National Park Service law enforcement rangers. Although the original video was swiftly deleted, members of the public were able to help identify the woman, who has now been named as 20-year-old Katie Sigmond, who has a combined total of 10 million followers on TikTok and Instagram.
The NPS summoned Sigmond to court, where she was charged with three misdemeanors: throwing objects into the Grand Canyon, littering, and creating hazardous conditions with disorderly conduct. However, as local news site AZCentral reports, she was only cited for throwing items into the canyon and disorderly conduct.
Sigmond was fined $285 (including a $60 court processing fee), and officials say that they received the payment in two parts on November 15.
"Throwing objects over the rim of the canyon is not only illegal but can also endanger hikers and wildlife who may be below," said the National Park Service in a Facebook post shortly after the incident. Objects thrown over the rim could also potentially trigger landslides.
If you see anyone acting dangerously at the Grand Canyon, you can contact the investigative arm of the NPS by calling or texting the ISB Tip Line at 888-653-0009, submitting an online form, or emailing nps_isb@nps.gov.
