Yellowstone National Park recently announced that one of its tourists was sentenced to a week in prison after trespassing in a “dangerous” geothermal area.
The national park, which is mainly located in Wyoming, shared a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ) about the ruling on June 13. Lynwood, Washington resident Viktor Pyshniuk was sentenced to seven days in jail for the break-in incident.
Authorities say the 21-year-old man walked away from the boardwalk area in Steamboat geyser in Yellowstone’s Norris Geyser Basin during his visit. According to the DOJ, Steamboat Geyser is the world’s tallest active geyser and is “the most dangerous” in the world.
“It has erratic and unpredictable eruptions that can reach 1.8 to 90 meters in height,” officials said.
According to the DOJ, a National Park Service (NPS) employee reported seeing someone “leaving the boardwalk” near the geyser. Pyshniuk reportedly told the NPS officer that he was trying to take photos of the hot spring.
“The employee took a photo of the defendant who had clearly crossed the fence and was walking up the hillside approximately 15 to 20 feet from the Steamboat Geyser steam vent,” the DOJ explained. “When contacted, Pyshniuk told the officer he left the boardwalk to take photos.”
“When speaking with Pyshniuk, the officer showed him the signs posted throughout the area stating that it is illegal to leave the boardwalk and explained that walking in a thermal area is very dangerous due to the possible weak soil layer, the geothermal characteristics of the mud, heated steam and water, and all other dangers associated with walking in a heated and unpredictable geothermal area.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Pyshniuk was also ordered to pay $1,550 in fines and was sentenced to two years of unsupervised release. The man is also banned from Yellowstone National Park for two years.
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Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick crafted the sentence to “deter [Pyshniuk]specifically, but also prevent the public from leaving the boardwalk in this area.”
“She expressed her concern that the defendant’s actions were seen by those around him, and they may have thought it was okay to do the same thing,” the DOJ said. “What if every visitor [Yellowstone] If you disobeyed the rules, the park would be destroyed and no one would be able to enjoy it.”
Acting United States Attorney Eric Heimann said in a statement that trespassing on Yellowstone’s thermal areas is “dangerous and harms natural resources.”
“In cases like this, where we have strong evidence that a person intentionally ignored signs and entered a closed thermal area, federal prosecutors will seek significant penalties, including prison time,” Heimann said.
Original article source: Yellowstone tourist sentenced to 7 days in jail for ‘dangerous’ incident caught on camera
