Mother fined $2,500 and given community service for allowing four-year-old daughter to draw on rocks using CHALK

The mother of a four-year-old girl caught drawing on rocks with chalk on public property has been ordered to serve 50 hours of community service for her crime.



Mother Susan Mortensen, 29, was offered the exchange of community service over a fine of $2,500 after police in Richmond, Virginia ticketed her in March over her daughter's 'graffiti' work.



'It is all the same thing,' Ralph White, park manager of the James River Park Systems told NBC12 . 'A couple weeks ago I was covering pornographic drawings done in chalk. It doesn't matter what the medium is. It's offensive.'

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Punishment: Mother Susan Mortensen, 29, must complete 50 hours of community service after her four-year-old daughter used chalk to draw on rocks

Graffiti: A photo of the chalk left by Ms Mortensen's daughter is shown that led to a charge of vandalism

Appearing in court on Tuesday, chalk supporters wrote colourful messages of encouragement along the sidewalks for the mother and child.

Inside, officers said they were cracking down on recent graffiti left by people on the area's rocks when they approached Ms Mortensen, several of her friends and her daughter over their work.

In newly added claims against the mother, the responding officer accused her of responding with obscene language and being uncooperative.



'I don't think I should comment on that,' Ms Mortensen told NBC12 responding to those accusations, 'but the outcome all in all was actually something that I would agree with and I thought it would help as far as doing community service.'

Pro-chalk: Outside the courthouse on Tuesday, supporters of Ms Mortensen and her daughter gathered with signs and chalk to write messages of support

Service: Ralph White, park manager of the James River Park Systems where she will serve her time repainting these posts, says the drawings can be offensive and no different from graffiti

NBC12 reports Ms Mortensen having apologized to the officer though she said her four-year-old has been negatively affected by the whole incident.



'She's very scared of chalk for one,' she told NBC12 . 'The protest we had did help with that, made her feel a little better. And she's very nervous around cops.'



For her service Ms Mortensen will have to scrape and repaint 200 posts throughout the James River Park System.



If her hours are not completed by January she faces the fine and charge of vandalism.



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