CASPER, Wyo. — A Colorado man and a New York man have been sentenced for trespassing on to the cone of Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Geyser.
“Eric Schefflin, 20, of Lakewood, Colorado, and Ryan Goetz, 25, of Woodstock, New York, appeared in court on December 5, 2019, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Carman at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming,” Yellowstone said on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Both pleaded guilty to trespassing onto the closed thermal area, the release adds.
“On September 10, 2019, at about 8:30 p.m., employees and visitors witnessed two individuals walking on the cone of Old Faithful Geyser and reported it to park dispatch,” Yellowstone says. “A ranger contacted and cited Schefflin and Goetz.”
In addition to 10 days incarceration, the two men were sentenced to pay $540 in restitution. They were also given five years of unsupervised probation and banned from the park for five years.
“Visitors must realize that walking on thermal features is dangerous, damages the resource, and illegal. Law enforcement officers take this violation seriously. Yellowstone National Park also appreciates the court for recognizing the impact thermal trespass can have on these amazing features,” said Chief Ranger Sarah Davis.
