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Throughout most of the 2010s, Austin Butler and Vanessa Hudgens seemed to be extremely happy together. Sadly, however, even though a lot of people thought the couple was meant to be together long-term, Hudgens and Butler eventually broke up.Since they went their separate ways, Butler has seemingly been happy dating someone who has an awkward connection with Hudgens. Thankfully, it also seems like Hudgens has found a truly special relationship with her current boyfriend Cole Tucker.Even though Butler and Hudgens have both seemingly moved on, some of their fans don't seem like they've been able to. Instead, some fans have come up with reasons to believe Hudgens and Butler secretly are dating again. Whether Butler and Hudgens ever reunite, a lot of people have forgotten certain aspects of their relationship including the time they got in trouble for vandalism. Looking back on that incident, it is fascinating to look at whether the former couple really was guilty of a crime.
What Led To Vanessa Hudgens And Austin Butler's Vandalism Controversy?
In the years since social media became a massive force in society, it has often been used for good. At its best, social media can be used to make positive changes in society and make people who otherwise felt alone find people to connect with.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that a lot of people have messed up their lives due to social media. Unfortunately for Vanessa Hudgens, social media has gotten her into hot water more than once in the past.
Most recently, In 2020 Hudgens left people fuming due to remarks she made about the COVID-19 pandemic during a livestream. At the height of that controversy, many people thought that situation was the biggest mistake Hudgens has made on social media but that isn't true.
Years earlier, something that Hudgens posted on social media got the actor in so much trouble that she was facing time behind bars.
In 2016, Hudgens and Austin Butler went for a hike in Arizona’s Coconino National Forest. From all accounts, Butler and Hudgens were very happy together at the time and apparently they wanted to share that with the world.
To pay tribute to their love, the couple wrote “Austin + Vanessa” on a red rock formation in Coconino National Forest. Wanting to let her followers in on the moment, Hudgens took a photo of the red rock formation and posted it on Instagram.
After Hudgens' uploaded that since-deleted post, it didn't take long for her to realize she'd made a mistake. After all, the photo led to Butler and Hudgens being investigated for vandalism. If they were found guilty of the crime, they could have been sentenced to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Thankfully for Butler and Austin, neither of them wound up in court, but that doesn't mean they walked away scot-free. After making a deal with the government, Hudgens agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for the incident.
Did Austin Butler And Vanessa Hudgens Really Commit Vandalism?
As of the time of this writing, Vanessa Hudgens has an $18 million fortune according to celebritynetworth.com. With that in mind, it is exceedingly obvious that paying a $1,000 fine would be easy for Hudgens.
However, that doesn't mean that the vandalism scandal wasn't a big deal for Hudgens. After all, it seems obvious that the idea that she could be sentenced to spend half a year behind bars would have stressed Hudgens out.
On top of that, Hudgens also had to deal with a backlash from a lot of people online. With that in mind, it makes sense that Hudgens eventually addressed the controversy during an appearance on the SiriusXM show “Sway in the Morning”.
Considering that Hudgens posted a photo of a rock formation emblazoned with her own name and Austin Butler's, there clearly was some truth to the vandalism accusations. However, according to Hudgens, the situation was more complicated than it seemed.
During the interview, Hudgens addressed people who were mad at her by claiming she also loves the environment. “I’m such an earth person. I love Mother Nature. I love being connected in a natural environment.”
More importantly, Hudgens claimed that while she wrote on the rock formation, she didn't do anything permanent. In fact, Hudgens claims that cleaning those names off the rock formation would be extremely easy. Furthermore, Hudgens claimed that if nobody cleaned the rocks, what she wrote still would have disappeared before too long.
“It’s chalk. If you rub it, it comes off. I knew with the first rain it would go away.”