“I saw this guy carving his name in the West Side tunnel on the Going to the Sun Rd in Glacier National Park. She waved at me like I was taking any old photo, then I kindly pointed out the offense of their actions. After I told him it was a felony offense, he continued to carve the date under his name..”
📸: @northwesternadventurer
Joe Beebe’s carving of his name into the West Side Tunnel on Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is considered vandalism of federal property, which is a crime under U.S. law. More specifically, this falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service which prohibits “destroying, injuring, defacing, or damaging property or natural resources” in a national park. Additionally, since the Going-to-the-Sun Road is a National Historic Landmark, defacing it could also violate laws protecting historic sites
The question of whether this act constitutes a felony depends on the extent of the damage and the specific charges brought. Basiclly damaging government property can be a misdemeanor if the damage is valued at $1,000 or less, punishable by up to one year in prison and/or a fine. If the damage exceeds $1,000, it becomes a felony, with penalties of up to seven years in prison and/or a fine and its hard to determining the cost of the damage fropm just the photo.
If you witnessed an act like this, you could report it to park rangers with details like the location, time, and any photos, as this helps them assess and address the damage. Joe’s casual response (waving) and persistence suggest he might not fully grasp the consequences, but ignorance of the law doesn’t typically excuse the act.
