YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A 67-year-old man was convicted by a federal jury on Wednesday, May 21, for assaulting a Yellowstone National Park employee with a “dangerous weapon” last autumn, according to a Wednesday announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming.
David Tyler Regnier, of Bend, Oregon, was driving a Jeep through Yellowstone on Sept. 18, 2024, according to the Attorney’s Office. Two park employees were directing traffic near Canyon Junction where a road construction project was being completed. The employees spotted a Jeep approaching the intersection, driving “the wrong way down the road to bypass waiting traffic.”
“He expressed his displeasure at how traffic was being directed through the construction zone,” the announcement reads. “One employee told Regnier that he could not proceed and needed to back up. The other employee stood in the way of the Jeep with a stop sign. Regnier accelerated, driving into the employee and physically pushing him backwards. The employee jumped out of the Jeep’s path after it struck him.”
Park law enforcement officers later stopped and arrested Regnier. His federal trial this week lasted three days and was held before U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 7, where Regnier faces up to 20 years in federal prison with three years of supervised release to follow and up to $250,000 in fines.
“Our office will take a strong stance against the frequent acts of violence directed at public servants who are merely doing their jobs to protect the community,” Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie I. Sprecher said in a statement.
National Park Service law enforcement officers investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
