Colorado man banned from Yellowstone National Park for walking in thermal area
File photo
JACKSON (WNE) — A Colorado man was sentenced to seven days in jail for walking off a designated trail or boardwalk in a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park in July.
Joseph Aita, 62, of Colorado Springs, entered the protected area of Canary Spring in Mammoth Hot Springs in the north area of the park with co-defendant Celia Aita and two minor children, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Wyoming.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick imposed the sentence for the violation on Oct. 31 in Mammoth, Wyoming.
Aita also pleaded guilty to destroying a mineral resource, and for that violation he was sentenced to five years of probation, with a ban from Yellowstone National Park during that time and a fine of $3,000.
He will also pay $60 in mandatory court costs and fees in the case.
This story was published on November 12, 2024.