An Indiana man has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a drunken kayaking trip in Yellowstone National Park, where authorities said he threatened park security officers.
Kyle F. Campbell, 31 of Fairmont, Indiana, was sentenced to 60 days in prison, a five-year probation and a five-year ban from Yellowstone National Park on June 23 in a Mammoth, Wyoming, courtroom, park officials said in a news release Wednesday. He was also ordered to pay $1,600 in fines and fees.
Park officials said Campbell was with a group scheduled for a guided kayak trip at Grant Marina in the park on June 21. The guide refused to take the group, saying they were too intoxicated, and Campbell and the group raised a ruckus, according to the park.
Campbell then became "agitated and hostile," and began yelling at the guide and making threats. The group then drove away. A few minutes later, park dispatch received a report that a person - later identified as Campbell - was driving too fast, and "flipped off" a person who asked him to slow down.
Security was called, and Campbell made threatening comments and gestures toward the officers, refused to obey their orders, struggled and kicked at them, then finally hurt himself banging his head in a patrol car, according to the park.
Court documents state that when questioned at the scene whether had consumed any alcohol, he replied that he had; when asked how much, he reportedly replied "a lot."
As Campbell was being restrained by officers, according to charging documents, he would "read our name tags repeatedly, state that he would remember our names, find us, blow us away on the side of the road, and kill us."
“We understand that people are eager to get out this summer and enjoy our national parks; however, this type of behavior is unacceptable. Thanks to the quick actions taken by park rangers and the park vendor’s security officers, no one was seriously harmed,” Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray said in a statement. “Stay sober, because unruly and intoxicated behavior will only earn you a spot with the jailbirds rather than enjoying the beauty and adventure of Yellowstone.”
United States Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman imposed the sentence.
