Suspect in Yellowstone bison incident pleaded guilty

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY - Last night, August 2, at approximately 10:45 p.m., Glacier National Park rangers apprehended Raymond Reinke, age 55, from Pendleton, Oregon. Reinke was wanted following an incident earlier this week at Yellowstone National Park when he was captured on video harassing a bison. Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk said, “We appreciate the collaboration of our fellow rangers in Glacier and Grand Teton national parks on this arrest. Harassing wildlife is illegal in any national park.”

Reinke had been traveling to multiple national parks over the last week. On July 28, he was first arrested by law enforcement rangers at Grand Teton National Park for a drunk and disorderly conduct incident. He spent the night in the Teton County Jail, and was then released on bond. Following his release, he traveled to Yellowstone National Park. Rangers at Yellowstone stopped his vehicle for a traffic violation on July 31. Reinke appeared to be intoxicated and argumentative. He was cited as a passenger for failure to wear a seat belt. It is believed that after that traffic stop, Reinke encountered the bison. Yellowstone rangers received several wildlife harassment reports from concerned visitors and found Reinke later that evening, issuing a citation requiring a court appearance. The video of the event surfaced after that citation had been issued.

On Thursday, August 2, Yellowstone rangers connected Reinke’s extensive history, and seeing the egregious nature of the wildlife violation, the Assistant U.S. Attorney requested his bond be revoked. The request was granted and on the night of August 2, a warrant was issued for Reinke’s arrest. Reinke had told rangers that his plans were to travel to Glacier National Park. Last night, August 2, Glacier National Park rangers began looking for his vehicle. Simultaneous with that search, rangers responded to the Many Glacier Hotel because two guests were arguing and creating a disturbance in the hotel dining room. Rangers identified one of the individuals involved as Reinke.

Glacier rangers transported Reinke to Helena late last night, where they met Yellowstone rangers. Yellowstone rangers transported Reinke to Mammoth Hot Springs and booked him into the Yellowstone Jail. He is scheduled for a court appearance today.

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY - Raymond Reinke, 55, from Pendleton, Oregon, appeared Wednesday, August 8, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Carman at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming. Reinke pleaded not guilty to charges in Yellowstone National Park that included disturbing wildlife and carrying an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. In Grand Teton charges included being under the influence of alcohol to a degree that endangers self or others, interfering with agency function, resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace. Reinke will remain in custody until his August 23 trial.

Representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming, will not have further comment until after the trial.

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Raymond Reinke, 55, from Pendleton, Oregon, appeared Thursday, August 23, 2018, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Carman at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming. Reinke, scheduled for a trial, entered a change of plea on August 23. He pleaded guilty to four charges in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The charge of under the influence of alcohol on July 28 in Grand Teton and a disorderly conduct charge on July 31 in Yellowstone were dismissed.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Carmen accepted the terms of the plea agreement for the Class B misdemeanors. Sentencing included:

• 130 days of incarceration
• $70 in court fees and assessments, with no additional fines incurred
• 5 years of unsupervised probation
• Alcohol and bar ban
• Substance abuse evaluation and successful treatment if required by the evaluation
• Alcohol testing upon reasonable suspicion
• Submit to searching for alcohol and/or controlled substances upon reasonable suspicion

Additionally, the U.S. Magistrate added as a condition of Reinke’s probation a five-year ban from entering Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Glacier National Park, where the incidents and subsequent warrant arrest occurred on August 2.

“The judge’s decision today reinforces the park’s commitment toward protecting wildlife and other natural resources as well as our visiting public,” said Yellowstone National Park Deputy Superintendent Pat Kenney. “We encourage everyone to commit to stewardship of our public lands while enjoying our national parks and respecting the experiences of others.”

On August 8, Reinke pleaded not guilty to charges in Yellowstone National Park that included disturbing wildlife, disorderly conduct, and carrying an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. Additionally, charges in Grand Teton National Park included being under the influence of alcohol to a degree that endangers self or other, interfering with agency functions/resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace, which resulted in an arrest and ultimately a revocation of bond conditions.