Sorry, Sedona! Vanessa Hudgens agreed to pay $1,000 in restitution for carving a heart into a red rock wall in Sedona, Arizona, during a Valentine’s Day trip with boyfriend Austin Butler.
The former Disney star, 27, and Butler, 24, made headlines in February when the pair carved their names in a heart into the famous red rock formations — and shared their handiwork on social media.
Defacing a national feature on U.S. Forest Service land is a violation of federal law, and Hudgens’ followers reported the actress to authorities, who took action.
“This incident is currently under investigation, so there is not much I can share specifically since I am not privy to the details of an investigation until it is complete”, Coconino National Forest public-affairs officer Brady Smith told Us Weekly at the time. “However, I can say that the issue of people carving their names and other things in rocks in the Sedona and surrounding area is always a challenge we face, and try to inform people about its destructive nature. We have found that when one person carves something, it encourages others to carve.”
Hudgens’ fine will be used by a volunteer group called Friends of the Forest to help restore the rock wall, which is usually done by scrubbing or sanding the rock.
According to The Associated Press, the fine and resolution took place on April 19, but the agreement has only recently been made public.
