Man seen in viral video harassing Yellowstone National Park bison arrested
A video went viral last week depicting a clueless individual harassing a bison on a congested roadway in Yellowstone National Park. The man engaging with the huge bison can be seen yelling at and waving his arms at the bison who charged him a few times. The man was inviting danger to himself as well as others on the roadway until the bison eventually loss interest and ambled away.
That individual was eventually identified as 55-year-old Raymond Reinke of Pendleton, Oregon. In a case of just desserts, Reinke was arrested Thursday in Glacier National Park, according to The Missoulian. Turns out, Reinke went on a tear beginning in late July and managed to receive citations in three national parks before ultimately getting arrested for harassing the bison.
He was first arrested inside Grand Teton National Park on July 28. Rangers there alleged that he was drunk and disorderly. He spent the night of July 28 in Teton County Jail and was released on bond the next day.
On July 31, rangers at Yellowstone National Park stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation. Reinke was a passenger in that vehicle and “appeared to be intoxicated and argumentative.” Park officials cited him for not wearing a seat belt.
Rangers believe that it wasn’t too long after this traffic stop that Reinke is seen in the video harassing the bison. Rangers received “an onslaught of wildlife harassment reports from visitors regarding the incident.” Once park officials realized it was Reinke in the video, his bond from his July 28 arrest was revoked and a warrant issued for his arrest.
Glacier National Park rangers arrested Raymond Reinke, 55, in the Montana park on Thursday. Reinke was wanted for the incident in Yellowstone and had encountered law enforcement officials in at least three national parks since July 28.
“From the park’s perspective, this was absolutely egregious behavior,” Morgan Warthin, Yellowstone public affairs officer, said. ~ per USA Today
USA Today went on to quote a statement from National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk who said that, “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 appeared in court on Friday. He requested a court appointed attorney and will remain jailed pending a follow-up hearing scheduled for next week.
It appears that this isn’t Reinke’s first run-in with the law. Public records show that Raymond Todd Reinke was booked in Umatilla County, Oregon, on charges of disorderly conduct and harassment back in 2013.
The video showing Reinke harassing the bison in Yellowstone has been viewed millions of time. If you haven’t seen the video yet, it’s available for viewing below.
https://youtu.be/YqqgeZzSBPY
~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
