A Bentonville man was banned from the Buffalo National River for two years on Tuesday for leading a hike on May 7 in which a Springfield, Mo. man fell to his death.
Jeffrey Johnson didn't have a permit to operate a business in the national park and he solicited money for his services, federal Magistrate Judge Mark E. Ford ruled after a bench trial in Harrison in December.
During the trial, a park ranger described the hike along Indian Creek Trail as very difficult, with narrow trails along a bluff and a rope climb along the way. He said Brad Lee Thomas, of Springfield, fell about 20 feet from a rock ledge into a pool of water along Indian Creek.
On Tuesday, besides banning Johnson from the park, Ford also sentenced him to two years probation and ordered him to pay $600 in fines, said his attorney, Chris Flanagin of Eureka Springs.