Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to illegal hiking charge and agrees to pay $1,500 fine for walking into protected Yellowstone hot spring
- Pierce pleaded guilty to one of two illegal walking charges
- In November 2023, he ventured off a permitted trail in Yellowstone National Park
Actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty to an illegal hiking charge and agreed to pay a $1,500 fine for walking into a protected hot springs in Yellowstone.
This comes almost two months after the James Bond actor pleaded not guilty after venturing off the permitted path into Yellowstone National Park in November 2023.
Pierce pleaded guilty to one of two illegal hiking charges filed against him after he allegedly tried to get a closer look at the thermals in the Mammoth Terraces section of the park, according to court documents filed Thursday.
The Mammoth Terraces are a popular feature in Yellowstone and are constantly changing in color and activity.
Federal regulations state that visitors to national parks must stay on designated walkways. Leaving the boardwalk is punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty to an illegal hiking charge and agreed to pay a $1,500 fine for walking into a protected hot spring in Yellowstone
The James Bond star, seen here standing on the springs, entered a plea via a paper filing in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming on Jan. 4.
Brosnan pleaded not guilty in January to wandering into Yellowstone National Park’s “delicate” and dangerous hot springs, despite being photographed standing in the protected area at the time of the alleged violation.
According to Cowboy State Daily, the James Bond star entered a plea on Jan. 4 via a paper filing regarding the November 2023 incident in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming.
Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick granted the 70-year-old’s request to cancel his initial appearance and instead set a virtual conference for Feb. 20.
Brosnan was cited twice for alleged thermal violations in the Mammoth Terraces portion of the park and was scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 23.
The alleged violations are said to have occurred on November 1. A personal photo uploaded to an account featuring Yellowstone “tourons” (tourist idiots) showed him on the snow-covered springs.
The features are dangerous and vulnerable. If they are damaged, it can take years to repair. Countless people have died from falling into Yellowstone’s boiling pools.
The James Bond actor is accused of leaving the designated walkway and attempting to access the thermals at Mammoth Terraces
The Irish star had been in the area filming ‘The Unholy Trinity’, a western starring Brosnan as a sheriff alongside Samuel L. Jackson. He can be seen here in ‘Dante’s Peak’
Brosnan is just the latest tourist to try to circumvent the rules in the beautiful park.
At least 22 people have died from burns suffered in Yellowstone’s springs and geysers.
Among them is Colin Nathaniel Scott, who is believed to have dissolved in the hot, acidic water after leaving the boardwalk at the park’s Norris Geyser Basin in 2015 to find a place to soak.
Similarly, the foot of Il Hun Ro, 70, was discovered by a National Parks worker after he apparently fell into it.
In 2021, a Connecticut woman was jailed for seven days, fined $2,000 and banned from Yellowstone for two years for leaving the walkway and approaching thermals.