Penalty for Taunting Bison: 130 Days in Jail

Raymond Reinke sentenced after his Yellowstone bison harassment was filmed
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 24, 2018 12:00 PM CDT
'I'm Sorry to the Buffalo': Drunken Taunter Sentenced
In this 2016 photo, a herd of bison grazes in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park.   (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

An Oregon man who said he and his buddy were on a "last hurrah" tour through national parks before he entered alcohol treatment was sentenced Thursday to 130 days in jail for his drunken behavior—including harassing a bison that had stopped traffic in Yellowstone National Park, per the AP. Raymond Reinke's crimes drew national attention when at least one Yellowstone visitor caught his interaction with a bison on video. Reinke, of Pendleton, Oregon, pleaded guilty during a federal court appearance in Mammoth, Wyoming, where cases from Yellowstone park are heard.

US Magistrate Judge Mark Carman sentenced him to 60 days in jail for harassing wildlife, 60 days for interfering with law enforcement, and 10 days for disorderly conduct. He was given credit for 21 days served. Reinke, 55, is banned from Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier national parks for a five-year probationary period during which he is not allowed to drink alcohol. His planned chemical dependency treatment is now court-ordered. "I'm sorry to the buffalo. He didn't deserve what I did to him," Reinke said, per ABC Fox Montana.

(More Yellowstone National Park stories.)

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