{"id":581,"date":"2026-06-10T04:32:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T04:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=581"},"modified":"2026-06-10T04:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T04:32:30","slug":"wisconsin-man-who-hid-out-in-yosemite-national-park-assaulted-park-ranger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=581","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin man who hid out in Yosemite National Park assaulted park ranger"},"content":{"rendered":"
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California\u2019s Eastern District Court sentenced a Wisconsin man for assaulting a backcountry ranger in Yosemite National Park, officials announced.\u00a0Michael Anthony Valencia, 32, of Appleton, Wisconsin,\u00a0was sentenced to three years of supervised release for assault of a federal officer, interfering with a government employee engaged in official duties and camping without a permit, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office announced on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>

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For weeks prior to his arrest, Valencia had been repeatedly making nonemergency calls to the park\u2019s 911 system from a spot near the Pohono Trail, according to court documents. He had been camping in the backcountry there without a permit. The Pohono trailhead is located uphill from the park\u2019s famous Tunnel View area.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

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Law enforcement officers arrived at the Pohono Trail area on July 22, 2024, with the intention of making contact with Valencia to address his misuse of the park\u2019s 911 system, court documents state. National Park Service special agent James Cullen Tucker wrote in his affidavit that around 11:40 that morning, he was told by a colleague that Valencia had assaulted a Park Service officer. Tucker refers to the officer as W.H.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Tucker wrote that when he met with W.H. at the Tunnel View pullout, the officer\u2019s upper lip was cut and swollen, and there was dried blood on his clothes. He tooth also appeared to be \u201cbent inward,\u201d Tucker wrote in his affidavit. Valencia was also at the Tunnel View pullout, and had been placed in handcuffs.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

According to Tucker\u2019s account, W.H. later stated in an interview that in one of his 911 calls, Valencia said he wanted to \u201cshoot a cop and go to prison.\u201d W.H. also contacted Valencia\u2019s mother, who told him that Valencia was attempting to \u201cescape society\u201d and may be violent if approached by law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

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