FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday pardoned a trail runner who briefly took a prohibited trail on his way to a record time up and down the tallest peak in the Teton Range of western Wyoming.
The pardon for Michelino Sunseri, unlike recent pardons of Trump allies, appeared apolitical.
Sunseri, 33, ran up and down Grand Teton, the 13,775-foot (4,200-meter) centerpiece of the iconic Teton Range, in 2 hours, 50 minutes, 50 seconds in 2024.
It was an epic feat: The run covered 13.3 miles (21.4 kilometers), gaining 7,000 feet (2,133 meters) in elevation, then back down again in western Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
But on the way down, Sunseri left a switchback to avoid casual hikers. Going off-trail in a national park is considered a no-no because it can cause erosion, especially when a shortcut over time becomes a popular way to go.
Sunseri, who was open about taking the two-minute detour, got a misdemeanor conviction from a judge in September.
Before the pardon, prosecutors agreed to seek dismissal if Sunseri completed 60 hours of community service and a course on wilderness stewardship, according to Sunseri’s attorneys.
The judge expressed concern about that change, however, and set another hearing in the case. The pardon now renders any deal moot.
Democrats and Republicans alike have expressed concern about “overcriminalization” of minor offenses in national parks, said Sunseri’s attorney, Ed Bushnell.
“I do believe, had Democrats been in power, we would’ve been seeing a similar result,” Bushnell said of the pardon. “It’s a good result.”
Sunseri was “very pleased” to get the pardon, Bushnell said.
The White House declined to comment on the pardon on the record.
