Two 'High On Life' members sentenced for misbehavior in national parks

Posted 11/2/16

Five defendants from the High on Life group appeared at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs today (Tuesday), according to a news release from the National Park Service.

Hamish Cross and Parker Heuser pleaded guilty to violations …

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Two 'High On Life' members sentenced for misbehavior in national parks

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Two Canadians with a group of video makers will be banned from America's national parks for five years after pleading guilty to violations in Yellowstone National Park and Death Valley National Park. The group, High on Life, gained widespread notoriety after they walked on Grand Prismatic Spring for one of their travel videos in May.

Five defendants from the High on Life group appeared at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs today (Tuesday), according to a news release from the National Park Service.

Hamish Cross and Parker Heuser pleaded guilty to violations in Yellowstone and Death Valley National Park. The remaining three defendants — Charles Ryker Gamble, Alexey Andriyovych Lyakh, Justis Cooper Price Brown — pleaded not guilty and will be appointed court attorneys.

Cross pleaded guilty to charges in Yellowstone that included disorderly conduct by creating a hazardous condition and foot travel in a thermal area. He agreed to pay over $8,000 in fines, restitution, community service payments and fees.

“The judge’s decision today sends a very clear message about thermal feature protection and safety,” said Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk in a Tuesday news release. “Hamish Cross’s egregious actions damaged a world-class hot spring and risked his own life coupled with the lives of responding rangers. We look forward to the outcome of the case regarding the three remaining defendants.”

Meanwhile, Heuser pleaded guilty to two violations in Death Valley National Park that included riding a bike in wilderness and commercial photographs without a permit. He will also pay for collateral fines that stemmed from violations at the Bonneville Salt Flats. He agreed to pay more than $1,000 in fines and fees. Heuser was not charged any violations in Yellowstone National Park.

Both individuals will be on probation for five years with conditions that includes being banned from public lands managed by the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

During the course of the investigation, park rangers identified the four individuals involved in the violations in Yellowstone and arrest warrants were issued. Through the use of social media and tips from the public, additional investigations were conducted about the group’s activities on other federal lands.

The High on Life group was issued violation notices from:

• Zion National Park

• Death Valley National Park

• Yellowstone National Park

• Mesa Verde National Park

• Corona Arch (BLM)

• Bonneville Salt Flats (BLM)

The Park Service reminded visitors that harm can be done by walking on bacterial mats that surround thermal features like Grand Prismatic Spring.

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