Pierce Brosnan admitted on Thursday that he stepped off the trail in a hot area on November 1, 2023, while he was in Yellowstone National Park.
(AP) says Pierce called the court hearing to make his plea and hear how much he would have to pay in fines.
The star was given a $500 fine and told to give $1,000 to Yellowstone Forever by April 1, a non-profit group set up to support the national park.
On Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick threw out Brosnan’s small charge for breaking closures and use limits.
Following his guilty plea, Brosnan wrote on Instagram that he loves and respects nature and thinks of himself as an “environmentalist.”
“However, I made an impulsive mistake—one that I do not take lightly—when entering a thermal area covered in snow in Yellowstone National Park to take a photograph,” Brosnan said. “I did not see a ‘No Trespassing’ sign posted that warned of danger, nor did I hike in the immediate area.”
He said he was sorry for “trespassing in this sensitive area.”
“We should take care of Yellowstone and all of our other national parks so that everyone can enjoy them.” Brosnan ended his message with the hashtag “#StayOnThePath.”
Before Brosnan pleaded guilty, on January 4, his lawyer went to court on his behalf to enter a not guilty plea.
His lawyer asked for a trial and said he would not be at the hearing. On January 10, a notice was put up canceling Brosnan’s hearing that was supposed to happen on January 23.
According to the docket for the U.S. District Court of Wyoming, Brosnan, 70, was given a ticket for “foot travel in all thermal areas and w/in Yellowstone Canyon confined to trails” and “violating closures and use limits.”
The actor from “Mrs. Doubtfire” got his tickets for “petty offenses” on November 1, but they weren’t filed in court until December 26, as Fox News Digital had already confirmed.
In Yellowstone National Park’s thermal areas, there are rules that say, “Do not travel through thermal areas after dark.”
In addition, “stock are not permitted in thermal areas,” “altering or putting objects in thermal features is prohibited,” and “swimming, soaking, or bathing in waters that are entirely of thermal origin is prohibited.”
There are more than 500 live geysers in Yellowstone National Park.
“In thermal areas, the ground may be only a thin crust above boiling hot springs, and there is no way to guess where a safe path is,” the park’s site says.
New dangers can appear overnight, and pools are acidic enough to burn through boots, so you must only walk in certain places. For an easy and safe way to get to thermal features, the park service has set up boardwalks.
A recent event shows how dangerous the thermal parts of the park can be.
Federal prosecutors charged a man from Michigan with traveling off-trail in a Yellowstone National Park thermal area while intoxicated and high in August after he suffered thermal burns. A press statement says that he can’t go to Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Parks until the criminal charges are over.
