YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Two out-of-state men have been sentenced for separate crimes that occurred in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), according to a Tuesday announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming.
Ralph Thomas Jones, Jr., a 58-year-old from Mississippi, was sentenced to four months in federal prison followed by a year of supervised release for assault. Per the announcement, the defendant had a physical altercation with a woman at the Washburn Lodge in Canyon Village in June of 2025, in which he “repeatedly hit the victim multiple times and choked her, causing injuries that needed medical attention.”
National Park Service law enforcement investigated the crime, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Calmes. Chief U.S. District Judge Kelly H. Rankin handed down the sentence in Cheyenne on Feb. 5.
In a separate case, Ricardo Ballard, a 52-year-old from Texas, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a year of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Per the announcement, a Park Ranger stopped the defendant for speeding through YNP in October of 2024. After stopping Ballard for driving 75 mph in a 45-mph zone, the ranger “smelled burnt marijuana.” The defendant reportedly denied having marijuana or weapons in the vehicle, but ultimately said he did have some “rolled marijuana joints.”
“A search of the vehicle revealed an unsealed bag of marijuana, three boxes of fireworks, and a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol found in the back pocket of the passenger seat,” the announcement reads. “The defendant has a prior federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and was previously sentenced to 60 months in prison and prohibited from possessing firearms.”
Ballard’s case was investigated by National Park Service law enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore. U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl handed down the sentence in Casper on Feb. 3.
