Nebraska Woman Gets Caught Climbing Mt. Rushmore

RAPID CITY, S.D.  — A Nebraska woman has been fined $1,000 for illegally climbing Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  Authorities say Alexandria Incontro scaled the massive sculpture without a rope in bare feet Friday, making it about 15 feet from the top of the granite mountain.

A number of signs on the presidential monument warn people not to trespass or climb the sculpture. The Omaha woman pleaded guilty to climbing the monument during a federal court appearance in Rapid City Monday. Three other charges, including trespassing, were dropped.

The Rapid City Journal says Incontro took a route up the mountain between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, whose faces are about 60 feet high. An officer convinced Incontro to come down and she was handcuffed and arrested.