President Donald Trump pardoned Driggs, Idaho-based ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri, who cut corners in his attempt to be the fastest to run up and down the Grand Teton last year.
Jackson attorney Ed Bushnell represents Sunseri and told Jackson Hole Community Radio he received a copy of a signed pardon dated Nov. 7.
Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick found Sunseri guilty in September of cutting a switchback in Grand Teton National Park last year. The 33-year-old was scheduled to be sentenced soon, though a new Wyoming prosecutor recently withdrew his support of the case.
Sunseri ran up and down the Grand Teton in just over 2 hours and 50 minutes on Labor Day 2024. But what he initially claimed to be the fastest known time by nearly three minutes was rejected by the official records website FastestKnownTime.com after his posted route revealed he took a defunct trail closed for vegetation regrowth.
The shortcut was a misdemeanor punishable with up to 6 months in jail, a park ban and a fine of up to $5,000.
Emails obtained by the defense team earlier this year revealed that D.C. park officials had withdrawn support of prosecution, citing “overcriminalization.” Prosecutors recently agreed to seek a dismissal if the runner completed 60 hours of community service and a course on wilderness stewardship.
With the case seemingly cleared, his legal team is “thrilled that Michelino’s nightmare is over.
“But we're not done fighting against unconstitutional regulations that give low-level park officials the power to criminalize harmless conduct," Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Michael Poon said in a press release.
