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Park City • A California man is pleading guilty to defacing two Utah murals believed to have been done by the mysterious British graffiti artist Banksy.
David William Noll will pay $13,000 in restoration costs as part of a plea agreement.
Noll told a judge Monday he was suffering from a bout with bipolar disorder when he drove to Park City and damaged the works on New Year's Eve. The county prosecutor says the 36-year-old appears to be a frustrated artist.
If the restitution is paid by a November sentencing hearing, prosecutors say they won't seek jail time.
The murals appeared in 2010, when a documentary by Banksy debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Silhouetted figures and spray-painted messages by the elusive artist have sold for as much as $1.1 million at auction.