MAMMOTH, Wyo. — A Virginia man has been charged with nine criminal counts after allegedly stealing a vehicle, driving under the influence and resisting law enforcement in Yellowstone National Park on Saturday, Aug. 10.
An affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court, District of Wyoming by a U.S. Park Ranger accuses the man, later identified as Alan R. Bowling, of committing a string of violations Saturday afternoon.
According to the complaint, Yellowstone’s emergency services received a call at about 4:45 p.m. notifying them that a man had stolen a park vehicle in the Old Faithful area. Minutes earlier, he had allegedly attempted to purchase beer at the Old Faithful Upper General Store but his credit card was declined.
He then allegedly got into a tow truck belonging to a Yellowstone Park Service Station (YPSS) and drove north from Old Faithful, going the wrong way on a one-way road. He eventually veered off the road and through a fence, ending up almost 200 feet off the pavement.
From there, Bowling took off on foot, according to the affidavit, and was chased down by two rangers who arrested him at gunpoint. Bowling allegedly falsely claimed that his name was “Nathan Patterson” and that he was a United States Marshal. The ranger who filed the affidavit reported that Bowling smelled of alcohol.
When asked why he had stolen the truck, Bowling was reported to have responded, “I needed the truck to get to the United States Marshal’s headquarters.”
He was escorted to a patrol car and brought back to the Mammoth Jail, where he was identified by two rangers as the man who had been driving the YPSS truck.
Bowling was charged with nine misdemeanors, among them unlawfully operating a vehicle under the influence, unlawfully destroying or damaging government property, interfering with a government official on duty, unlawfully operating a motor vehicle in a prohibited area and driving a vehicle in wonton disregard for the safety of others.
In an initial court appearance, Bowling pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is scheduled to appear at a detention hearing Thursday, Aug. 15.
