Actor Pierce Brosnan dodged a somewhat hefty fine for walking in a restricted thermal area at Yellowstone National Park, with the federal magistrate ordering him to pay $500 while the U.S. Attorney's Office had sought a $5,000 fine plus two years' probation for him.
The $500 fine, plus a $1,000 community service payment to the Yellowstone Forever Geological Fund, along with a $30 court processing fee and a $10 special assessment, were ordered by Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick on Thursday.
According to court documents, on or about November 1, 2023, Brosnan uploaded pictures to his Instagram page of himself standing on a thermal feature at Mammoth Hot Springs, according to a park release. There are signs posted in the area that warn visitors of the dangers of thermal features and state that visitors must remain on the designated boardwalks and trails.
Among the many movies Brosnan has appeared in was Dante's Peak, a 1997 film in which he played a volcanologist investigating a dormant stratovolcano coming to life.
Yellowstone holds the world's greatest collection of thermal features, with some 10,000. The park enables safe viewing of hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles through the use of boardwalks, defined trails, and patrolling rangers. Over the years, numerous people have suffered injury or death for walking off boardwalks or designated trails into the park's thermal areas. Park warnings stress that the ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface.
This case was investigated by the National Park Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Calmes.
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Comments
So the judge issued a fine 1/10th that proposed by the government. A $500 fine ($1540 total) isn't going to deter a millionaire from doing much of anything.
The investigation/prosecution probably cost 10xs that in hours worked, etc. Brosnan probably paid an attorney 20xs that to represent him.
The message is clear.