The unlicensed man who led a 31-person hike on the Buffalo National River in Arkansas will face criminal penalties following the death of one hiker on the tour. In the bench trial held in Harrison, Arkansas, Magistrate Judge Mark E. Ford ruled that Jeffrey M. Johnson charged people to be a part of a hiking group that he led, but did not have the proper permits for commercial activity on National Park Service-run land.
Johnson led a group of hikers on the Indian Creek Trail to the Eye of the Needle in the Ponca Wilderness. The trail is 4.3 miles round-trip, with drops of up to 50 feet, and features rough terrain. One spot has a fixed rope to help with climbing up the cliff. However, the popular trail isn't an officially designated one. According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Johnson said in a phone interview with investigators that he typically has a 15-person limit on hikes, but for that hike, he used Facebook, and it did not let him set a participant limit. Johnson did not testify in court, but audio of the investigator's interviews was played. In the audio, Johnson says, "I wish he had listened to me about how important it was [to stick together] and how dangerous it was."
According to a National Park Service press release, the Missouri man fell from the Indian Trail drainage of Buffalo National River on May 7, 2022. He was later identified as Brad Lee Thomas, 46. At one point during the hike, he and another hiker turned back because the terrain seemed too dangerous. However, Johnson was unaware that the pair left the main group. Veronica Gilmore testified that she turned around with Thomas because the next portion of the hike "seemed dangerous." She said she told another participant before they left, testifying that they were told to wait at the group's lunch spot—but after three hours, no one came. It began to get dark, and Gilmore was wet because she had fallen. She testified Thomas said, "I think we should go ahead and go because we've waited almost three hours, and nobody has shown up."
The NPS press release reports Thomas fell around 20 feet. Witnesses attempted CPR, but he was unresponsive. Daniel Romes, a Buffalo National River park ranger, confirmed the hike is dangerous. He testified, "You shimmy along a shelf, and you squeeze through a hole to get there." Romes said another hiker had a leg injury on May 1 after a hike on the trail with Johnson. Romes heard of the May 7 hike and tried to prevent it from happening, but the hikers were not at the meeting spot.
Later Romes heard a hiker was hurt on the Indian Creek Trail and found first responders with Thomas upon his arrival. Romes said, "He had fallen from a rock ledge approximately 15 or 20 feet high into a pool." According to Romes, 47 people participated in the search and rescue efforts. Even though Johnson did not charge for the hike, he did charge members of the group a $20 annual membership fee.
Johnson was found guilty of violating two Code of Federal Regulations: 36 CFR 5.3, engaging or soliciting business in park areas without a permit, and 36 CFR 2.37, illegally soliciting money, goods, or services. He is set to be sentenced in March.
