Pierce Brosnan cited for alleged incident at Yellowstone National Park

(WJW) – Actor Pierce Brosnan will have to appear in court over an incident that allegedly happened at Yellowstone National Park.

According to a court document obtained by People and CNN, the James Bond actor was cited for entering protected areas of the park in early November.

Brosnan has been accused of "foot travel in all thermal areas and [within] Yellowstone Canyon," as well as "violating closures and use limits." The docket, filed in U.S. District Court in Wyoming, lists the charges as a petty offense, according to People and CNN.

Brosnan, 70, has been ordered to appear at the Yellowstone Justice Center on Jan. 23. It's unclear what exactly prompted the charges; representatives for Brosnan have yet to comment on the incident.

Officials with Yellowstone National Park didn't immediately respond to Nexstar's request for additional information.

Yellowstone National Park is well-known for its thermal areas, which include hot springs, geysers, mudpots, travertine terraces and fumaroles, according to the park's website.

Visitors are often advised to stay on established walking paths to avoid those thermal areas, which are described as "acidic enough to burn through boots." Other park rules include staying out of thermal areas after dark, and not putting objects, human or otherwise, into those thermal features.

Earlier this year, criminal charges were filed against a man after he allegedly went off-trail and sustained thermal burns while visiting Yellowstone.

The National Park Service reports that more than 20 people have died from "burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs."

In 2016, a man from Portland left the boardwalk at Norris Geyser Basin, slipped on gravel, and fell into the spring. In 2021, a woman suffered serious thermal burns after trying to save her dog from a hot spring.