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A 20-year-old TikTok creator was reportedly hit with a $285 fine after hitting a golf ball into the Grand Canyon.
Katie Sigmond, who has 6.9 million TikTok followers, had been charged with three misdemeanors for the stunt, including “tossing items into the Grand Canyon, littering and creating hazardous conditions with disorderly conduct,” The Arizona Republic reported.
Video of the stunt has since been taken down, although re-uploads of the incident have been posted on TikTok and Reddit. The video showed her hitting a golf ball into the canyon and throwing her golf club off the ledge, according to the official Instagram account for the Grand Canyon.
Sigmond, who is known for her lifestyle and golfing videos, was able to resolve her case through a collateral forfeiture agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, the outlet reported. A collateral forfeiture agreement, according to federal law, allows individuals who commit petty offenses to pay a set amount for the violation instead of appearing in court.
Neither Sigmond nor the U.S. attorney’s office in Arizona immediately responded to a request for comment.
The fine comes over a month after the Grand Canyon National Park’s social media accounts first posted about the incident, without naming Sigmond.
“Do we really need to say, ‘don’t hit golf balls into the Grand Canyon?’” the Grand Canyon wrote in a Facebook post on Oct. 27 and on Instagram on Oct. 28. Both posts shared a screenshot of the video.
The National Park stated in its post that the incident took place at the Mather Point lookout area. Members of the public had alerted the park to Sigmond’s account, which resulted in Grand Canyon Law Enforcement identifying, locating and contacting “the individual responsible for the incident,” the park wrote in its social media post.
“Throwing objects over the rim of the canyon is not only illegal but can also endanger hikers and wildlife who may be below,” the park added.
Many on social media criticized the video, noting that the park shouldn’t be used for stunts.
“Grand Canyon, not a golf course,” one commenter wrote on her Oct. 29 post.
“Make sure to respect nature!!! Golfing in the Grand Canyon???” another wrote.
The Grand Canyon National Park has publicly called out misbehaving visitors in the past. It has made Facebook posts calling out various items left in the park, including padlocks, trash and cigarette butts. It has encouraged visitors to #LeaveNoTrace in its posts in an effort to protect local wildlife.
Daysia Tolentino is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.
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