Man sentenced for trespassing, violating closure at Yellowstone National Park

The pursuing is simply a news merchandise from Yellowstone National Park. | EastIdahoNews.com record photo

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Viktor Pyshniuk, 21 of Lynwood, Washington, was sentenced to 7 days successful jailhouse for thermal trespass astatine Steamboat Geyser successful nan Norris Geyser Basin successful Yellowstone National Park. In addition, he was placed connected 2 years of unsupervised merchandise and received a two-year prohibition from YNP for a closure violation. The tribunal besides ordered Pyshniuk to salary a $1,500 fine, $30 mandatory tribunal processing interest and $20 typical assessment.

According to tribunal documents, a YNP rule enforcement serviceman was dispatched to nan thermal area astatine Steamboat Geyser by an on-duty parkland worker who reported a personification stepping disconnected nan boardwalk astatine that location. The worker had taken a photograph of nan suspect who had intelligibly crossed complete nan obstruction and was stepping up nan hillside wrong 15-20 feet of Steamboat Geyser’s steam vent. When contacted, Pyshniuk told nan serviceman he near nan boardwalk to return photos.

While speaking pinch Pyshniuk, nan serviceman showed him nan signs posted passim nan area stating it is forbidden to time off nan boardwalk and explained that stepping successful a thermal area is very vulnerable owed to imaginable anemic crushed layer, nan geothermal features of mud pots, heated steam and water, and each different dangers associated pinch stepping successful a heated, unpredictable geothermal area.

Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick imposed nan condemnation connected June 4. During sentencing she explained to nan suspect that nan condemnation was designed to deter him, specifically, but besides nan nationalist from leaving nan boardwalk successful this area. She expressed her interest that nan defendant’s actions were seen by nan group astir him, and they mightiness person thought it was okay to do nan aforesaid thing. And if each visitant to YNP disobeyed nan rules, nan parkland would beryllium destroyed, and no-one would beryllium capable to bask it.

“Trespassing successful closed, thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park is vulnerable and harms nan earthy resource,” said Acting United States Attorney Eric Heimann. “In cases for illustration this 1 wherever we person beardown grounds showing a personification has willfully disregarded signs and entered a closed, thermal area, national prosecutors will activity important penalties, including jailhouse time.”

Steamboat Geyser is simply a salient characteristic wrong YNP and nan world’s tallest progressive geyser, but it is besides nan astir dangerous. It has erratic and unpredictable eruptions that tin emergence anyplace from six to 300 feet high. In nan past 4 years, nan intervals betwixt eruptions ranged anyplace from 3 to 89 days, according to nan YNP website. Judge Hambrick besides explained that nan three-foot fencing astir nan boardwalk is simply a clear motion that nan area is closed and prohibited from entering.

This lawsuit was investigated by Yellowstone National Park rule enforcement officers and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Calmes.