Hudson Valley Man Steps on Old Faithful; Banned From Yellowstone

A local man was thrown in jail, fined and banned from Yellowstone National Park for disrespecting a wonder of nature.

Ryan Goetz of Woodstock probably thought it would be fun to post a photo of himself on top of the famous geyser named Old Faithful. But instead of Instagram likes, the 25-year-old received a hefty fine, a jail sentence and probation.

According to NBC News, Goetz and a friend from Colorado were visiting Yellowstone National Park in September when witnesses caught the duo trespassing on the cone of the geyser. The men were taking photos on their phones in a restricted area of the park. Concerned parkgoers began taking some pictures themselves and shared them with park rangers.

After seeing the photos of Goetz and his partner in crime walking all over Old Faithful, the trespassers were cited and the men later pled guilty to trespassing. Goetz was sentenced to ten days in jail and ordered to pay $540 in restitution. The Woodstock man will also be on unsupervised probation for five years, during which he is banned from entering Yellowstone National Park.

In 2016 an Ulster County woman was banned from every national park in the country after pleading guilty to vandalizing seven national parks and posting the graffiti on Instagram.

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