Re: Vandal Sentenced to Three Days in Jail for Carving into Iconic Roosevelt Arch

Mammoth Hot Springs, WY - Dakota D. Tipton, 26, of Joshua, Texas, was sentenced Tuesday, July 26, 2016, for carving his initials into the iconic Roosevelt Arch. U.S Magistrate Judge Mark Carman ordered Tipton to serve three days in jail, pay a $250 restitution fee for repairs, and $40 in court fees.

On June 10, 2016, park dispatch was notified by a visitor that Mr. Tipton was carving his initials into a keystone above a small walkway arch adjacent to Arch Park. When contacted by law enforcement, Mr. Tipton admitted to using a multi-tool to carve into the arch, calling it “a bad decision.” Mr. Tipton was issued a mandatory appearance citation for vandalism and appeared before the court at the Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs by phone Tuesday, July 26. He will likely serve his jail sentence near his home in Texas. This location is determined by the U.S. Marshal Service and/or the Bureau of Prisons.

The Roosevelt Arch, situated at the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, was constructed out of local columnar basalt. Dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt, who laid the cornerstone on April 24, 1903, the arch greeted early visitors who arrived in Gardiner, Montana via the Northern Pacific Railroad. At 50 feet high, the Roosevelt Arch is, and has been, a favorite photo point for visitors. The Roosevelt Arch is part of the Fort Yellowstone National Historic Landmark District. National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States.

It is difficult to measure the actual cultural resource loss that Mr. Tipton’s actions cost the park. The sentence passed down by the judge reflects the egregious nature of such an action.

The keystone of the central arch is engraved with the words, “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” “Let this unfortunate act be a reminder to all that the cultural treasures of Yellowstone National Park require our care and protection to ensure that generations to come will enjoy their presence on the landscape,” said Yellowstone National Park Deputy Superintendent Steve Iobst. To read about the Roosevelt Arch, visit http://go.nps.gov/rooseveltarch.

Why would doing something like this cross someone's mind?

To literally "leave their mark". Carving one's name or initials is a very old custom that many people think is a great idea. Hopefully most have the common sense not to deface a national landmark with their initials, but be satisfied in carving their initials on a table of their favorite dive bar. But some, like Mr. Tipton, lack this common sense.

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Leave No Trace

The mentality of the need to deface or draw on landmarks...it's just so strange. Just something that never thought of doing. Like holding animal fights for gambling - until I read about it, it's not something that entered my mind at all. I'm not saying it makes me this great person or anything. Some people are just wired differently.

It's an interesting dynamic. Certainly there was a time when certain landmarks weren't protected per se by any government. The one place I can think of is Newspaper Rock in Utah, where centuries of people from different native cultures have left petroglyphs. Adding to it was probably considered part of what it was up to the point where it was protected. I think there might have been debate because a cowboy in the 1800s added to the drawings (or it might have been some other place) and the talk was about whether or not it was historic or a defacement. In the end I think the descendants of the cowboy were located and they asked that it not be removed because they knew precious little about that ancestor other than this mark.

A " bad decision"? With all the media coverage this year of the vandalism that other people done and have been charged for, that is not a valid excuse in my mind. Plus that fine is way too low and parks need to raise fines for vandalism. We were in Arches and Canyonlands a few weeks ago and evidently we had been following a person that was using the same unusual color of chalk to draw what they thought looked like petroglyphs on natural rocks and on rock walls at overlooks. My son and I spent a lot of time and water washing them off. We kept wishing that we would catch up with them so we could report them. I don't believe that "I didn't know you were not allowed to do that" is a good excuse either. I got that from a couple who had let their dog loose in the Alpine area in Rocky Mt. NP and it ran over a hill towards some elk and from some guys that were walking on the tundra in a area that had a sign to stay off the tundra. At the entrances to the park is a huge red sign that says " You are responsible for knowing the Park rules and regulations........"

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parklover
Plus that fine is way too low and parks need to raise fines for vandalism.

Can't we bring back flogging?

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eeek

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parklover
Plus that fine is way too low and parks need to raise fines for vandalism.

Can't we bring back flogging?

Yes or tar and feathering.

"The sentence passed down by the judge reflects the egregious nature of such an action."

I don't believe it does. Fines along with a hundred hours, or so, of community service would have been better than a long weekend in jail.