Since the 1800s, at least 20 people have died in thermal areas in Yellowstone National Park. File photo: REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
Pierce Brosnan could be jailed and fined after being hit with two charges for allegedly walking into off-limits parts of Yellowstone National Park.
The James Bond star, 70, was cited on Tuesday by the US District Court for apparently entering a “thermal area” at Mammoth Terraces, and is charged with “foot travel in a thermal area” and a “closure violation” after his alleged entry into a restricted area of the park on November 1.
He hasn’t yet entered a plea and the court docket labels the two charges as a “petty offence”.
Brosnan – who has declared he is a keen environmentalist – has been ordered to appear in court in Wyoming on January 23.
Consequences for Brosnan’s alleged offence can be serious, and if found guilty of wandering into restricted areas in Yellowstone, visitors can be jailed for up to six months and face fines of up to $5,000 (about R91,000).
A Connecticut woman is said to have been held in jail for seven days and fined $2,000 for going off the designated path to walk toward the park’s “thermal area”, and was also banned from the national park for two years.
Since the 1800s, at least 20 people have died in thermal areas in Yellowstone National Park and in November 2022 the foot of a dead man from Los Angeles was found floating in one of the park’s hot springs.
Park bosses urge visitors on its website to stay safe by following the designated boardwalks and trails and says they have been laid out to “protect you and delicate thermal formations.”.
Meanwhile, Brosnan has led tributes to the late ‘Band of Brothers’ director David Leland.
He said he got one of his biggest career breaks thanks to the filmmaker, whose passing on Christmas Eve aged 82 was revealed on Wednesday.
Brosnan said: “David Leland holds a mighty place in my heart.
“He gave me my break as an actor in Tennessee Williams’ play ‘The Red Devil Battery Sign’.
“I was just out of Drama Centre London where David was also an alumni. It was the thrill of my young lifetime to be cast as McCabe, working with David and Tennessee.
“David will forever be an essential part of my story and of all who knew and loved him.”