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TikTok star facing charges after video of her hitting golf ball into Grand Canyon goes viral

November 01, 2022
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Insider.com

Kids, don't try this at home. Or, rather, at the Grand Canyon.

We've seen people attempt to hit golf balls in plenty of crazy locations, but one TikTok star was filmed doing it at one of the most famous landmarks on the planet. And now she's in trouble as deep as the Grand Canyon itself.

OK, so she's likely not facing any jail time, but she is facing a court appearance for charges stemming from hitting a golf ball over the edge of this national wonder last week—her club snapping in the process—and sharing the video on TikTok. The Grand Canyon announced the legal update on its Facebook account.

"Do we really need to say, ‘don’t hit golf balls into the Grand Canyon?’" the post starts. One wouldn't think so, but in this age of posting anything for a few likes? Yes, we do, Grand Canyon. Yes, we do.

"Members of the public helped identify the individual’s social media account," the post continues. Turns out, that account wasn't hard to find because Katie Sigmond has nearly 7 million followers on TikTok and another 2.9 million on Instagram.

Insider.com first reported the story and spoke to Joelle Baird, a public affairs specialist for the Grand Canyon National Parks Service. According to Baird, Sigmond is facing three Class B misdemeanor charges that are "unlikely" to lead to any jail time, but could be worth up to $1,000 in fines per offense.

According to CBSNews.com, comedian Jake Adams faced charges for hitting a golf ball in Yellowstone Park last year, but has since apologized. Sigmond didn't respond to Insider dot com's request for comment, but the video has been scrubbed from her TikTok page. She has several other golf-related videos on her page.

We'll have to see how this all plays out, but in the meantime, don't hit any golf balls into national parks—especially when there could be hikers/animals below. Oh, and don't mess with the United States National Park System.