The Wake County District Attorney’s Office sentenced creator of the now infamous Hillsborough Street “Barrel Monster,” Joe Carnevale, to 50 hours of community service Tuesday for his alteration of several traffic barrels that were not his property.

At press time, a Facebook group entitled “Don’t Charge Joseph Carnevale!” had reached 7,100 members and a fan page carried almost 12,000 followers. Many Barrel Monster supporters called and wrote letters to the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, asking it to dismiss the charges.

District Judge Vince Rozier of Wake County deferred judgment against Carnevale until Oct. 30. If he completes the sentence, the judge will dismiss all charges at that time.

“I’m pleased with the deferral agreement because it could have been a lot worse,” Carnevale said. “They really could have nailed me to the wall with this stuff so I’m glad they were lenient.”

However, there will not be a return to normalcy for Carnevale quite yet. He is still awaiting the return of several pieces of equipment that police seized during the investigation.

“The police seized my cameras, lenses, my laptop, my climbing gear, some tools, and my external hard drive. They also seized computers, cameras, and an iPOD, all belonging to my roommate,” Carnevale said. “None of these have been returned. I’m told I need a court order to get it back. I’m waiting to hear back from my attorney.”

As part of his deferral agreement, Carnevale was instructed to take down the website where he wrote about his exploits, nopromiseofsafety.com, and the flickr.com site where he posted photos of his cone creations and graffiti. However, he “might put new stuff up in the future.”

In the meantime, Carnevale has been working and keeping a relatively low profile. However, he may find himself in a more creative and lucrative profession soon. Hamlin Associates, the owner of the barrels, was vocal in their delight about the press the incident brought and has asked Carnivale to create a replica.

“I don’t know where or how I’ll serve my community service,” Carnevale said. “Hamlin [Associates] has expressed a desire for the original piece to be returned and for some photography work. If people want to pay for materials I’d be interested in doing more of them.”

Carnevale does not yet know where and for whom his community service will take place. Wherever it is, it will benefit a worldwide community he has already inspired.

“The Barrel Monster lore has reached everywhere,” Carnevale said. “My relatives and friends learned of it from both national and local news and over the internet in places like Arizona, Australia, New York, and England.”