Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to hiking in a restricted area in Yellowstone

Actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty Thursday to hiking in a restricted thermal area of ​​Yellowstone National Park in November and was ordered to pay a total of $1,500, according to U.S. District Court records in Wyoming.

As part of a plea deal, Mr. Brosnan, 70, who came to court by telephone and overturned a not-guilty plea he entered in January, was ordered to pay a $500 fine and donate $1,000 to Yellowstone Forever. , a nonprofit partner of the park, according to court documents.

Under the deal, another charge Mr. Brosnan faced, of violating closures and usage limits, was dismissed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick, court records show.

Karl Knuchel, a lawyer for Mr. Brosnan, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Court documents do not detail exactly how Mr. Brosnan violated park rules when he visited Yellowstone on Nov. 1. The park, known for its hot springs and scenic views, requires visitors to stay on boardwalks or trails in thermal areas.

Water from the hot springs can cause severe or even fatal burns, and there is boiling water beneath the thin, fragile crust surrounding the springs. according to the park. More than 20 people have died from burns after entering or falling into Yellowstone hot springs, according to the park.

Mr. Brosnan has been cast to play Sheriff Gabriel Dove in “The Unholy Trinity,” a film still in production whose filming locations include Yellowstone Ranch in Livingston, Mont., according to IMDb. The film is about a man facing execution who orders his estranged son to kill the man who accused him of a crime he did not commit.