MAMMOTH, Wyo. (AP) 鈥 Actor Pierce Brosnan, who pleaded guilty Thursday to stepping off a trail in a thermal area during a November visit to Yellowstone 春色直播 Park, was caught after posting pictures online, court records said.
Brosnan, who called in to the court hearing in Mammoth, Wyoming, was fined $500 and ordered to make a $1,000 donation by April 1 to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization that supports the park, court records said. Prosecutors had recommended a $5,000 fine and a two-year probationary sentence.
A second petty offense, for violating closures and use limits, was dismissed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick.
The actor issued an apology on his Instagram account Thursday, saying he 鈥渕ade an impulsive mistake鈥 and calling himself an environmentalist with 鈥渢he utmost respect for and love of our natural world.鈥
鈥淚 deeply regret my transgression and offer my heartfelt apologies to all for trespassing in this sensitive area. Yellowstone and all our 春色直播 Parks are to be cared for and preserved for all to enjoy," Brosnan wrote.
He did not see a 鈥渘o trespassing鈥 sign when entering the thermal area to take a photo and did not hike in the immediate area, he wrote.
Brosnan ended the message with 鈥#StayOnThePath.鈥
Brosnan, 70, walked in an off-limits area at Mammoth Terraces, in the northern part of Yellowstone near the Wyoming-Montana line, on Nov. 1, according to citations issued by the park. He was in the park on a personal visit and not for film work, the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office for Wyoming has said.
However, he uploaded images of himself standing in the snow on the thermal feature to his Instagram page, court records said.
Mammoth Terraces is a scenic spot of mineral-encrusted hot springs bubbling from a hillside. They are just some of the park鈥檚 hundreds of thermal features, which range from spouting geysers to gurgling mud pots, with water at or near the boiling point.
Going out-of-bounds in such areas can be dangerous: Some of the millions of people who visit Yellowstone each year get by ignoring signs warning them not to stray off the trail.
Getting caught can bring , too, with jail time, hefty fines and bans from the park handed down to trespassers regularly.
Brosnan appeared in four James Bond films, starred in the 1980s TV series 鈥淩emington Steele鈥 and is known for starring roles in the films 鈥淢rs. Doubtfire鈥 and 鈥淭he Thomas Crown Affair.鈥