2 Calif. men sentenced for Grand Canyon BASE jump

[mknutson]

2 Calif. men sentenced for Grand Canyon BASE jump

The Associated Press
Updated: 07/16/2009 01:25:06 PM PDT


FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—Two California men have been fined for an illegal 2007 parachute jump in the Grand Canyon. A federal magistrate in Flagstaff sentenced 30-year-old Christopher Copeland McNamara of Marin County to a year's probation and a $5,000 fine for the illicit BASE jump on Wednesday. BASE jumpers hurl themselves off buildings, antennas, cliffs or bridges and quickly deploy their parachutes.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says McNamara pleaded guilty to making the jump and will be banned from national parks while on probation. The ban doesn't apply to Yosemite National Park, where McNamara does volunteer work.
Corey Jonathon Rich of South Lake Tahoe pleaded guilty to violating terms of his commercial filming permit by not reporting the illegal jump. The charge against the 33-year-old Rich will be dismissed in a year if he pays $1,000, works to denounce BASE jumping and fulfills other requirements.

[Flying_Mike_D]

How does a BASE jumper work to denounce BASE jumping!?!?!

What a retarded sentance this judge handed down! This is beyond absurd.

[Cloudtramp]

Corey Rich is not a BASE Jumper. He is a photographer that had a permit to film (climbing from what I understand) in the canyon and did not report the "illegal activities" that he was a witness to.

...maybe they want him to make a "Friends don't let Friends BASE Jump" video.

[Chuck Lowenpull]

That's kinda bullshit about how Corey has to denounce BASE jumping for his sentence. I think the judge did a bit of denouncing how smart judges are by doing this. I'd like to tell him this too "You suck! You Jackass!".

[Cloudtramp]

This is from a Rock and Ice news email about the incident:

BASE jumper and climber Chris McNamara, 30, has received a stiff sentence for illegally parachuting from the rim of Grand Canyon National Park. BASE jumping, long outlawed in National Parks due to a strange “illegal flight” regulation, has in recent years emerged as a popular sport—and a safer one—thanks to batwing flight suits that let the jumper glide, flying-squirrel style, far away from the cliff. BASE jumping is, however, allowed on some public lands including those owned by the BLM, where formations such as the Titan and Castleton are regularly jumped.
McNamara, who operates supertopo.com, pleaded guilty to illegally jumping in the Grand Canyon while he was on a November 2007 rafting trip. He was ordered to pay a hefty $5,000 and must serve a year of probation. The popular climber who heads numerous volunteer rebolting projects was also banned from entering National Parks, but will be allowed into Yosemite for civic work.
The leading climbing and sports photographer Corey Rich, 33, of South Lake Tahoe also pleaded guilty to violating terms of his commercial filming permit by not reporting the illegal jump. Rich had been permitted to film a documentary about rock climbing and rafting in the Canyon. Rich did not film the jump, but was still fined $1,000. His charges may be dropped if he publicly denounces BASE jumping.
"BASE jumping is inherently dangerous; but that's only part of why it's prohibited in the park. BASE jumping here, where the terrain is so intensely rugged and the nearest help can be hours away, increases the inherent risks exponentially; and it puts park rescue personnel and resources at risk," stated Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Steve Martin. "Our concern is for the safety and protection of park visitors, park staff and park resources; so, we are grateful that the U.S. Attorney's Office was willing to so aggressively pursue prosecution of this case."

source: http://www.rockandice.com

[hamsandwich]

Crazy. When we got caught running over drunk bums in downtown LA to earn money for charity they didn't make us denounce driving cars.





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[ZegeunerLeben]

That's kinda bullshit about how Corey has to denounce BASE jumping for his sentence. I think the judge did a bit of denouncing how smart judges are by doing this. I'd like to tell him this too "You suck! You Jackass!".

>>Denounce BASE jumping? Isn't denouncing something that communists' do? Like when Khrushchev denounced Stalin? I think he should he should go in there and denouce BASE jumping as something that only a society of decadant capitalist dogs would participate in, and it will be purged once the peoples' revolution is complete.

[Cloudtramp]

It is a strange and frightening society that we live in. It blows my mind that people are so afraid of expressions of freedom.

Yet, the same people are "allowed" to eat themselves into a morbidly unhealthy state of being. In fact it's encouraged, there is a McDonalds on every street corner in America usually with a Burger King across the street!

disgusting!