Yellowstone National Park recently announced that a tourist was sentenced to one week in jail for trespassing in a “dangerous” geothermal area.
The national park, which is mostly located in Wyoming, published a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release regarding the ruling on June 13. Viktor Pysznik, of Lynnwood, Washington, was sentenced to seven days in jail for trespassing.
Authorities said the 21-year-old man was visiting Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park’s Norris Geyser Basin when he wandered off the trail. Steamboat Geyser is the world’s tallest active geyser and the world’s most dangerous, according to the Department of Justice.
“Eruptions will be erratic and unpredictable and may reach heights ranging from 6 feet to 300 feet,” officials said.
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Victor Pishniuk (far left), of Lynnwood, Washington, was photographed trespassing near a geyser in Yellowstone National Park. (Yellowstone National Park)
According to the Department of Justice, a National Park Service (NPS) employee reported seeing someone “walking” off a boardwalk near the geyser. Pishniuk reportedly told the NPS employee he was trying to take photos of the hot springs.
“Officers were taking photographs of the defendant, who had apparently climbed over a fence and was walking up a hillside within 15-20 feet of the steam vents at Steamboat Geyser,” the Department of Justice explained. “When contacted, Pishniuk told officers he had left the trail to take photographs.”
“While speaking with Mr. Pishniuk, the officer showed him signs placed throughout the area stating that it is illegal to leave the boardwalk and explained that it is extremely dangerous to walk in the hot springs area due to the potentially weak geological formations, the geothermal properties of the mud springs, the heated steam and water, and all the other hazards associated with walking in hot and unpredictable geothermal areas.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Pishniuk was ordered to pay a $1,550 fine, serve two years of unsupervised release, and was banned from entering Yellowstone National Park for two years.
Victor Pishniuk, 21, was convicted of “trespassing on geothermal land” in Yellowstone National Park. (iStock)
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Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick designed the sentence to be “deterrent.” [Pyshniuk]Specifically, we will also be prohibiting members of the public from leaving the footpaths in this area.”
“She expressed concern that the defendant’s behavior was being observed by others around her and that they might be willing to do the same,” the Justice Department said. “And [Yellowstone] If we don’t follow the rules, the park will be destroyed and no one will be able to enjoy it.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Hyman said in a statement that trespassing in Yellowstone’s hot springs area is “dangerous and harmful to our natural resources.”
On September 18, 2022, hundreds of tourists watched Old Faithful come to life in the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. (George Rose/Getty Images)
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“In cases like this, where there is strong evidence that an individual knowingly ignored signs and entered a closed hot spring area, federal prosecutors will seek significant penalties, including prison time,” Hyman said.
