The influencer caught hitting a golf ball into the Grand Canyon paid $285 in fines for the stunt
Grand Canyon National Park/Facebook/Reddit
- In October, Katie Sigmond shared a TikTok of herself hitting a golf ball and throwing her club into the canyon.
- She's since been identified and fined by the Grand Canyon National Park for $285.
- Records show that she made two payments for that amount in November.
Katie Sigmond, the 20-year-old influencer who posted a video of herself hitting a golf ball and throwing a golf club into the Grand Canyon was fined $285 for the TikTok stunt.
The US Attorney's Office in Phoenix provided Insider a copy of Sigmon's collateral forfeiture agreement, which stated the fine was related to two misdemeanor charges: Disorderly conduct, and tossing/throwing items into the canyon. Both are Class B misdemeanor charges.
The Central Violations Bureau of the Administrative Office of the US Courts told Insider it received two payments from Sigmond on November 15 totaling $285.
Local news outlet The Arizona Republic first reported the fine.
Sigmond was identified as the perpetrator after a video of her hitting a golf ball and throwing her golf club surfaced on the Grand Canyon Nation Park's Facebook page in October. Sigmond originally posted the video to her TikTok page, which has more than 7 million followers, but has since deleted it.
"Do we really need to say, 'don't hit golf balls into the Grand Canyon?'" it said in the post.
Joelle Baird, a public affairs specialist for the Grand Canyon National Parks Service, told Insider the park reached out to Sigmond, who admitted to hitting the golf ball and throwing her club at the edge of the canyon's South Rim.
Sigmond was charged with three Class B misdemeanors for "creating hazardous conditions, littering, throwing the objects themselves." At the time, Baird explained that each charge could carry a fine of up to $1,000. It's unknown if her third charge has been dropped, or is still ongoing. Insider has reached back out to the US Attorney's office for more information.
Baird said a collateral citation was mailed to her shortly after that. However, because the TikToker decided to pay the fine, the case was handled outside of court.
Sigmond did not respond to a request for comment.
Social media pressures to pull stunts for views continues to wreak havoc on the public, erode environmental preservation efforts, and set bad social standards.
In 2019, a Southern California town known for its beautiful poppy blooms was forced to bar access to the flowers because it could not handle an influx of visitors coming to take selfies. Influencers posing dangerously on natural sights, or leaving litter behind national parks, led one person to create a social media account several years ago dedicated to shaming them.