Vanessa Hudgens, the actress, was fined $1,000 for vandalism.
Her alleged crime was carving a heart with her name and boyfriend Austin Butler’s name into a red rock in Coconino National Forest in Sedona, Ariz., earlier this year.
Hudgens agreed to pay the fine, The Associated Press reported.
She posted the heart on Instagram.
“She was caught in the act because she publicized it and she’s famous,” Coconino National Forest Service spokesman Brady Smith said. “I’m sure there are others who are not famous and publicized it and we’ve never known.”
Forest officials say they rarely find the culprits who vandalize rock walls. However, Hudgens’s celebrity status was a big part of why she was caught.
Her fine money was used to fix the rock wall by a volunteer group called Friends of the Forest. Their agreement was approved on April 19, but it was only reported this week.
Hudgens had received a citation for a misdemeanor count of damaging a natural feature on U.S. Forest Service land, EW reported. An official with Coconino National Forest said at the time that officials became aware of the incident “when the media alerted them of the situation.”
“There is no deadline for this investigation—it takes as long as it takes,” the officer said. “The maximum punishment for this is $5K and/or 6 months behind bars.”
