Yellowstone tourist who had to pee found guilty of using his car against construction workers

JACKSON (WNE) — An Oregon man was found guilty Wednesday by a jury of assaulting a federal employee with his vehicle in Yellowstone National Park last fall.

David Tyler Regnier, 67, of Bend, Oregon, faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential $250,000 fine for the felony conviction. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 7.

The incident occurred on Sept. 18, 2024, near Canyon Junction during a road construction project. According to court documents, traffic was backed up for as long as 45 minutes. Regnier, attempting to bypass the delay, drove around the line of cars and was stopped by two construction flaggers.

Regnier told the flaggers he needed to use a restroom.

Despite their instructions to remain in line, Regnier drove forward, eventually accelerating his vehicle toward one of the flaggers.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming, one flagger stood in front of the Jeep holding a stop sign. Regnier struck the flagger with the vehicle, pushing him backward. The employee was able to jump out of the way before being injured.

The confrontation ended after park rangers stopped Regnier at Trout Creek along Grand Loop Road. By then, court reports state, Regnier had urinated in his pants due to the delay in reaching a restroom. He told law enforcement that he had a medical condition and was transported to a hospital later that day.

He was originally charged with three misdemeanors, including failure to comply with a traffic control device.

Those charges were later dropped in favor of a federal felony charge under 18 U.S.C. That charge applies when a person assaults a federal employee using a dangerous weapon. In this case, prosecutors argued, Regnier’s vehicle was the weapon.

This story was published on May 26, 2025.