“James Bond” actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded not guilty to walking in a restricted hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. The violation carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison.
According to The Daily Mail, Brosnan entered the plea in a court filing on January 4.
The alleged incident took place in November 2023 when the 70-year-old movie star was cited twice over violations at the thermals in the Mammoth Terraces section of the park. A photo allegedly showing Brosnan posing on the snow-encrusted springs was uploaded to a social media account featuring “tourons,” internet slang for tourist morons, per The Daily Mail.
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Brosnan had been ordered to appear in a Wyoming state courtroom on January 23, the outlet noted, but Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick granted the celebrity’s request to reschedule and have a virtual conference on February 20 instead.
Not only is the restricted hot springs area fragile and prone to damage from the trampling feet of tourists, but they’re also dangerous for Yellowstone visitors. The Daily Mail noted that at least 22 people have died from burns they received from the springs and geysers in the park.
The water temperatures at Mammoth Terraces’ springs routinely reach 161 degrees, while acid can scald human skin. Federal law instructs park visitors to stay on the designated walkways. Leaving the boardwalk path carries a punishment of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
One woman who violated these rules and got too close to the thermals in 2021 was fined $2,000 and banned from Yellowstone for two years.
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The park makes warnings about the thermal springs very clear for visitors. The National Parks website has a statement that says these popular attractions “have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature.”
“Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations,” a warning on the NPS website read. “Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.”
In 2022, a 70-year-old Los Angeles man is suspected to have died in the springs after breaking the rules and leaving the boardwalk path. Il Hun Ro’s foot was found floating in the hot spring, and even though the rest of his body was never recovered, no foul play was suspected.