Utah Man Gets Probation, Fines, Park Entry Ban For Illegal Dirt Bike Races in Grand Teton

[advrider]

Once you venture out on two wheels, there are many ways to run afoul of Johnny Law, but some ways will get you into particularly deep trouble. Like, for instance, organizing illegal dirt bike races in a national park.

That’s what Utah man Jacob “Jake” Hobbs did, and now he’s paying the price. Last week, Hobbs pleaded guilty to federal charges and was slapped with $9,710.96 in fines, 18 months of probation and an 18-month ban from Grand Teton National Park. It could have been a lot worse; the Powell Tribune said Hobbs originally faced charges of destruction of plants, failure to report an incident, injury to a historic monument, property damage and operating a motor vehicle off road. According to the Sheridan Press, Hobbs would have potentially faced as much as 27 months of imprisonment, fines amounting to $25,000 and five years of probation.

The charges arose from an incident in July of 2020, when Hobbs was spotted with several other people at Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park. Witnesses observed what appeared to be a dirt bike race, and they recorded it live for social media. A follow-up investigation by a park ranger indicated there’d been a race event, with awards handed out. According to the Sheridan Press, Hobbs said this was not the case, and that he’d thought Mormon Row was on BLM land. However, he did eventually plead guilty to the two charges mentioned above.

Outside Online says video of the event later appeared online, showing the riders in the area surrounding the popular-with-photographers John Moulton Barn (seen in the photo above). Head over to Outside for a more in-depth look at the case.

Did Hobbs receive a fair punishment for the two offenses he pleaded guilty to? Let us know your thoughts below.

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