The case of the men whose selfies got them in trouble this spring at Yellowstone came up this week in U.S. District Court.
An affidavit filed at Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth, Wyoming, states that the men illegally walked 25 yards off the boardwalk at Grand Prismatic Spring on May 14 to take photos and video.
The affidavit also said they also came in contact with U.S. Park Ranger Mark Franklin at Mesa Verde on April 2.
Franklin said on July 18 that he observed the men flying a drone on the north side of the park, but he declined to comment further. It’s illegal to operate a drone in national parks.
The three Canadians – Charles Ryker Gamble, Alexey Andriyovych Lyakh and Justis Cooper Price-Brown – face cases in National Park Service units including Death Valley, said U.S. Attorney Francis Leland Pico, according to minutes of the July 7 telephone status conference in Wyoming.
A fourth man, Hamish McNab Campbell Cross, was not initially issued a warrant, but has since been charged. According to the July 7 status conference, Cross is a filmmaker and has returned to New Zealand, defense attorney Thomas Fleener said. The men may be arrested if they enter the U.S. even for a court hearing, Fleener said.
Magistrate Mark Carman scheduled the next status conference for Aug. 8.
The men also face misdemeanor charges at two BLM units in Utah.
They are associated with the High on Life clothing company and operate the Facebook page “High on Life SundayFundayz.” The case drew thousands of commenters to the Facebook page. In a May 24 post, they apologized and promised to donate $5,000 to Yellowstone.
