'Beavis and Butt-Head-like:' Duo given probation for pushing rock formation off cliff

Akiya Dillon, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Nov 14, 2025

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LAS VEGAS — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced two Henderson men to probation after they were convicted of damaging government property by pushing a rock formation off a cliff at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Earlier this year, a jury found Wyatt Fain and Payden Cosper guilty of one count of injury and depredation of government property after the cousins, who were hiking, were filmed near the Redstone Dunes Trail on April 7, 2024, trying to push boulders over a cliff. Fain’s underage daughter was also with them, according to federal Judge Jennifer Dorsey.

“You should have set a better example for your daughter, who should not have had to witness your Beavis and Butt-Head-like behavior. This is not a very serious crime, and I believe this sentencing reflects the nature of the crime,” Dorsey told Fain, echoing a similar statement during Cosper’s sentencing hearing, which followed shortly after.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Skyler Pearson asked Dorsey to sentence Fain to six months in prison and, afterward, impose six months of supervised release.

“Las Vegas is America’s playground, but that does not mean you can desecrate public land,” Pearson said.

Still, the judge said she found prison time inappropriate.

Instead, Dorsey handed down a two-year probation sentence for Fain, who was already on probation at the time of the crime. The judge ordered one year of probation for Cosper, who had no prior criminal history.

As a condition of their sentences, both men must complete community service hours at national areas such as Lake Mead, Red Rock Canyon, or Spring Mountain, “with the hope that [they] would learn proper respect for public areas.”

Dorsey also ordered two months of supervised release for Fain, whom lawyers suggested had encouraged Cosper to push the boulder. Fain and Cosper apologized for their actions during their respective hearings.

“It was never my intent to maliciously destroy property,” Fain said. “I should have known better, so I would like to apologize to the court for my actions.”

Both men were ordered to pay total of $973. Dorsey noted that their crimes did not involve a human victim, weapon, or injury, but “provoked public outcry.”

Fain’s public federal defender, Heidi Ojeda, described the conviction as a “wake-up call” for her client. Fain, who previously struggled with substance abuse, has since become sober and been given full custody of his daughter, according to Ojeda.

“He has consistently shown remorse,” Ojeda said. “He has too much to lose now, and that shows he will not violate probation again.”

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