On July 8, 2019, Jamie Lester Underwood, 39, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina appeared in federal court before Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. At his appearance in court, Jamie Underwood pleaded guilty to vandalizing the original bronze door of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and was ordered to pay $1,922 in restitution for repairs and was placed on one year of probation.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore asked for help solving this crime through a Facebook post on June 13, 2018. Shortly after the Facebook post was published, a tip was received that helped National Park Service Rangers focus their efforts on Jamie Underwood. During his visit to Cape Hatteras National Seashore last year, Underwood used a pocket knife to etch the letters “SEF” into the lighthouse’s original bronze door.
