Remaining High On Life Defendants Plead Guilty

Three defendants from the High On Life company plead guilty to tampering with features in Yellowstone National Park Thursday, January 19, 2017.

According to a Yellowstone press release, Charles Ryker Gamble, Alexey Andriyovych Lyakh, and Justis Cooper Price Brown plead guilty to misdemeanors in not only Yellowstone but Zion, Death Valley, and Mesa Verde National Parks.

The pleas come months after the group was witnessed walking on Grand Prismatic Spring in May 2016. The group has since endured a barrage of public and legal scrutiny. Two of the defendants (Hamish McNab Campbell Cross and Parker Heuser) pleaded guilty in November 2016; Cross opted to pay $8,000 in fines to Yellowstone Forever, while Heuser payed $1000 in fines—and both were banned five years from public lands administered by the Department of the Interior, Agriculture, and Army Corps of Engineers. From the Yellowstone press release:

C. Gamble and A. Lyakh pleaded guilty to charges in Yellowstone National Park that included disorderly conduct by creating a hazardous condition and foot travel in a thermal area. They also pleaded guilty to charges for commercial photography without a permit in Zion National Park; use of a drone in a closed area, riding a bike in wilderness, and commercial photography without a permit in Death Valley National Park; and the use of a drone in a closed area in Mesa Verde National Park. Both individuals will serve seven days in jail, pay more than $2,000.00 in fines, restitution, community service payments paid to Yellowstone Forever, and fees. They will be on probation for five years which 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. As a condition of probation, C. Gamble and A. Lyakh will remove from their social media accounts all photographs and videos taken of public lands where they were charged violations.

J. Price Brown pleaded guilty to charges in Yellowstone National Park that included disorderly conduct by creating a hazardous condition and foot travel in a thermal area. He agreed to pay over $3,500.00 in fines, restitution, community service payments paid to Yellowstone Forever, and fees. He too will be on probation for five years which 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.

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“The judge’s decision today sends a strong and poignant message about thermal feature protection and safety,” said Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk. “We implore all visitors to learn about the rules in Yellowstone, respect the rules and follow them. We ask visitors to take the Yellowstone Pledge. Protect your park and protect yourselves by staying on the boardwalks. If you witness resource violations, call 911 or contact a park ranger.”