A man who lead an illegal hike that ended with the death of a Springfield hiker has been sentenced to probation and a two-year ban from Buffalo National River.
Jeffrey Johnson was sentenced to two years of probation, $600 in fines and $80 in processing fees. He has been ordered to pay $2,686.27 in restitution, which equals the cost of search and rescue operations performed for members of his hiking group in spring 2022.
Johnson, 47, led a guided hike at what's known as Eye of the Needle in the Indian Creek area of the Buffalo National River in May and accepted payments of at least $20 for the service while in the Kyle’s Landing parking area of the park, according to the U.