trespassing – Syndication Server

Yellowstone tourist gets jail time for trespassing in thermal area

A Yellowstone National Park tourist who trespassed in a dangerous thermal area in July has been sentenced to seven days in jail.

A Yellowstone National Park tourist who trespassed in a dangerous thermal area in July will spend seven days in jail.

Madeline S. Casey, 26, of New Hartford, Conn., was sentenced Aug. 18 in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, in the park’s northwest corner. Casey also was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, another $1,000 to the Yellowstone Forever Resource Fund, and $40 in fees.

The violation occurred July 22 at the Norris Geyser Basin. Casey and one other person left the boardwalk and walked across a thermal feature, to the consternation of tourists who documented their actions with cameras.

Yellowstone’s thermal areas are lined with boardwalks and signs warning tourists not to step from boardwalks onto the fragile and extremely dangerous thermal surface.

“Boardwalks in geyser basins protect visitors and delicate thermal formations,” Morgan Warthin, Yellowstone National Park Public Affairs Officer, stated in a U.S. Justice Department/District of Wyoming news release issued Wednesday. “The ground is fragile and thin and scalding water just below the surface can cause severe or fatal burns.

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“More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs.”

Added Acting U.S. Atty. Bob Murray: “For those who lack a natural ability to appreciate the dangerousness of crusty and unstable ground, boiling water, and scalding mud, the National Park Service does a darn good job of warning them to stay on the boardwalk in thermal areas.

“Yet there will always be those like Ms. Casey who don’t get it. Although a criminal prosecution and jail time may seem harsh, it’s better than spending time in a hospital’s burn unit.”

The case was investigated by Yellowstone National Park law enforcement officers and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Atty. Stephanie Hambrick.

–Images showing Yellowstone thermal features are courtesy of NPS/Yellowstone National Park

Man jailed for dangerous stunt at Yellowstone’s Old Faithful

A man who was cited for trespassing at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park last July has been sentenced to 15 days in prison and banned from the park.

A man who was cited for trespassing at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park last July has been sentenced to 15 days in jail and banned from the park.

Aaron E. Merritt, 37, pleaded guilty to trespassing during his arraignment Thursday before Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming.

On July 7, 2020, Merritt, who is from Madison, Maine, repeatedly ran up to the Old Faithful geyser while wearing a raccoon fur hat and carrying the American flag. When a ranger arrived, Merritt was 50 feet beyond the safety of the boardwalk.

Tourists at the famous geyser, which erupts at predictable intervals, must stay on boardwalks that surround the thermal feature.

Merritt was cited but failed to appear for his July 23, 2020 court appearance. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was arrested in Maine on June 5, 2021, according to a U.S. Department of Justice District of Wyoming news release.

Merritt was sentenced to 15 days imprisonment with credit for four days served. He was fined $200, plus $30 in court costs and a $10 assessment fee.

–Top image showing Old Faithful erupt is courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Yellowstone tourists get jail time for trespassing at Old Faithful

Two men have been sentenced to 10 days in jail for trespassing on the cone of Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

Two men have been sentenced to 10 days in jail after pleading guilty to trespassing on the cone of Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

Eric Schefflin, 20, of Lakewood, Colo., and Ryan Goetz, 25, of Woodstock, N.Y., were sentenced on Dec. 5 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Carman at Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo.

The case had been pending since the men were cited on Sept. 10, 2019, after several witnesses watched them walking toward and onto the out-of-bounds cone of iconic thermal feature.

The men also were banned from Yellowstone National Park for five years and ordered to pay $540 in restitution, according to a news release issued Thursday by the park.

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“Visitors must realize that walking on thermal features is dangerous, damages the resource, and illegal,” said Chief Ranger Sarah Davis. “Law enforcement officers take this violation seriously.”

Trespassing beyond the safety of boardwalks at Yellowstone’s thermal features is a common problem despite the potential for injury or death.

Late last September a 48-year-old tourist was severely burned after falling into a hot spring near Old Faithful, while walking at night with a flashlight.

In June 2017 a man received moderate burns after he fell into a hot spring at Lower Geyser Basin.

In 2016 a man died after he fell into a hot spring at Norris Geyser Basin, and in August 2000 a man died and two other tourists were severely burned after they fell into a hot spring at Lower Geyser Basin.

A park spokeswoman told ForTheWin Outdoors that thermal trespass violations are misdemeanors and can result in fines of up to $5,000, plus up to six months in jail.