YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (NMB) – A 37-year-old man from Maine has been sentenced after pleading guilty to trespassing in the Old Faithful Area in Yellowstone National Park.
Aaron E. Merritt was sentenced on Thursday and was ordered to serve 15 days in prison, with credit for four days of time served. He was fined over $230 and is permanently banned from the Park.
On July 7th, 2020, while wearing a raccoon skin hat and waving an American flag, Merritt ran out on the thermal area and up to the geyser of Old Faithful more than once. He then failed to appear for his court hearing on July 23rd, 2020, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on June 5th, 2021, in Maine and made his appearance at the Yellowstone Justice Center.
Information courtesy of Yellowstone National Park
