YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after having allegedly assaulted a fellow seasonal employee at Yellowstone National Park (YNP) in 2021, according to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming.
Owen Thunder Kennedy of Farmington, New Mexico, plead guilty to assault by striking, beating or wounding on Dec. 5, 2025, after being indicted in September for an incident that occurred four years prior. On the evening of Sept. 15, 2021, the defendant was reportedly visibly intoxicated, and “forcibly shoved his hand under the victim’s shorts and grabbed her genitalia hard enough to cause the victim pain.” Both parties were seasonal workers in the Old Faithful area of YNP, per the statement. YNP law enforcement investigated the crime.
In addition to the 12 months in prison, Kennedy was sentenced to a year of supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Kelly H. Rankin handed down the sentence in Cheyenne on Feb. 20. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case.
