Park City man charged with felony after $7,958 bus stop damage
A Park City bus stop case turned into a felony after prosecutors pegged the damage at $7,958, above Utah’s $5,000 line.
A Park City man was charged with a second-degree felony after prosecutors said political graffiti caused $7,958 in damage to a public bus stop, pushing the case past Utah’s $5,000 felony threshold and into a far more serious penalty range.
Mark Lloyd Fernald, 61, was charged in 3rd District Court after allegedly writing a derogatory message against President Donald Trump on plexiglass panes at a public bus stop on March 30 and again on April 13. Prosecutors said the ink etched the panes so badly that Park City had to buy eight new panes, not including installation. The damage bill, not just the message, is what lifted the case from misdemeanor territory to a second-degree felony.
Utah law treats graffiti as a second-degree felony when the damage is more than $5,000. The statute also allows restitution for removal, repair or replacement costs, which means the city’s documented expenses could factor into any future repayment order. Under the same law, graffiti is a third-degree felony when the damage is more than $1,000 and a class A misdemeanor when the damage reaches at least $300.
The financial hit lands at a time when Park City has been investing heavily in its transit stops. The city says it has secured federal, state and county grants to improve bus stops across the community, with a plan to enhance access, ADA accessibility and amenities at 84 stops by December 2027. Park City also said 18 bus stops, including shelters at nine stops, were built in 2024, making damage to a relatively new transit asset more costly for the city and more disruptive for riders.
Fernald also faced a separate charge for allegedly carrying a weapon into a secure court area, and he had already been charged in Summit County Justice Court with a misdemeanor graffiti offense tied to a different sign at the Old Town Transit Center. That earlier case involved a display of old photos with anti-Trump messages, widening the dispute beyond a single bus stop and suggesting authorities were dealing with repeated incidents rather than an isolated act.
For Park City, the case now carries both a legal and public cost. A transit stop meant to serve daily riders became evidence in a felony case, and the replacement bill became the key number: $7,958.
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