Short Jail Sentences In Unrelated Yellowstone NP Cases

     Two past visitors to Yellowstone National Park have received jail sentences for unrelated incidents 

         31-year-old Kyle Campbell of Fairmont, IN, was given 60 days in jail and banned from the park for 5 years after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and other charges. He must also pay more than $1,550 in fines.

       Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray.says Campbell made threatening comments and kicked at park officers while resisting arrest after a disturbance started when a park guide refused to take his party on a kayak trip because they were too drunk, 

      37-year-old Aaron Merritt of Madison, Maine, was sentenced to 15 days in jail and 4 years probation for running onto Old Faithful geyser multiple times while wearing a raccoon-skin hat and waving an American flag. 

       Merritt was also ordered to pay a $200 fine and barred from the park while he’s on probation. 

        Acting United States Attorney for Wyoming Bob Murray says Merritt failed to appear at a court hearing soon after the incident, and was arrested in Maine on June 5. He entered his plea in the park at the Yellowstone Justice Center,

       Murray also says that Merritt apparently ran onto the geyser as part of a stunt to attract attention, but likely would have died had he fallen through Old Faithful’s crust.