Mount Rushmore climber busted trying to get to top of Washington’s head, officials say

A Mount Rushmore ranger patrolling and watching security footage spotted a flicker of light move near George Washington’s carved head, court documents said.

The footage showed a flashlight moving along the iconic monument shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court of South Dakota. The ranger on duty went to check it out and found a climber making her way to Washington’s head.

“I could see the climber made it to the base of George Washington and had dispatch turn on the lights to illuminate the memorial then shouted up to the climber that I was the police and they needed to climb down now,” the ranger said in the documents. “I only observed one climber at the base of Washington’s lapel, some 200 feet up the talus slope.”

Holly Venderley, from Indiana, tried to climb the monument at night while the park was closed because she knew it was illegal, according to court documents. The ranger said she was sober and uninjured.

The climber was arrested and charged on accusations of climbing Mount Rushmore, entering a closed area and “disregarding the park’s closure hours,” court documents said.

On Monday, Venderley pleaded guilty to the charges and was ordered to pay a $1,250 fine and $30 processing fee.

Multiple people have been busted trying to climb the presidential monument. In August, a climber from Michigan made it to the top of Washington’s head and then came tumbling down the cliff, McClatchy News reported. He fell about 100 feet.

That climber was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and $30 processing fee, according to McClatchy News.

This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Mount Rushmore climber busted trying to get to top of Washington’s head, officials say."