YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — An Illinois woman who was shown on social media taking photos less than 30 feet from a grizzly bear with cubs in Yellowstone National Park will spend time in jail for violating park rules.
Samantha Dehring who lives in a Chicago suburb was shown widely on social media after her encounter with the bear this past May. Eyewitnesses say she continued to take photos after being warned to retreat and held her ground as the bear bluff charged.
She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of intentionally disturbing wildlife.
She will serve 4 days in the Gallatin County Detention Center and will pay slightly more than $1,000 in fines plus another $1,000 to the Yellowstone Forever wildlife protection fund.
She is on probation for a year and banned from the park for a year.
In handing down the sentence, Federal Judge Mark Carman said his decision aimed, and we quote, "To put an exclamation point on how serious this is."
He said Dehring endangered herself, other tourists, and the bears.
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