Three defendants from the High On Life Group plead guilty

Three members of the Canadian group High On Life have pleaded guilty to violations in Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Mesa Verde National Park.

Charles Ryker Gamble, Alexey Andriyovych Lyakh, and Justis Cooper Price Brown pleaded guilty to violations. Two defendants attended the hearing in person and one defendant was on the phone. The full details of the case can be seen in the following press release from the National Park Service:

Three defendants from the Canadian group High On Life appeared Thursday, January 19, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Carman at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs, WY. Two defendants attended the hearing in person and one defendant was on the phone. Charles Ryker Gamble, Alexey Andriyovych Lyakh, and Justis Cooper Price Brown pleaded guilty to violations in Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Mesa Verde National Park.

The group, consisting of Charles Ryker Gamble, Alexey Andriyovych Lyakh, Justis Cooper Price Brown, Parker Heuser, and Hamish McNab Campbell Cross, were the subject of multiple investigations by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

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.

On November 1, 2016, two defendants from High On Life, Hamish Cross and Parker Heuser, pleaded guilty to violations in Yellowstone National Park and Death Valley National Park.

“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.”

On May 16, 2016, a concerned citizen contacted park rangers in Yellowstone National Park, after seeing four individuals walking on Grand Prismatic Spring. During the course of the investigation, park rangers identified the four individuals involved in the violations in Yellowstone National Park and arrest warrants were issued. Through the use of social media and tips from the public, additional investigations were conducted about the group’s activities on other federal lands.

The High On Life group was issued violation notices from:
Zion National Park
Death Valley National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Corona Arch (BLM)
Bonneville Salt Flats (BLM)