Police found discrepancies in Isaac Hyde’s sworn statements after he told investigators he was stranded on a chairlift overnight at Gore Mountain Ski Center.
Isaac Hyde showed no signs of hypothermia or frostbite after he allegedly spent the night suspended 30 feet in a chairlift in 20-degree weather. And investigators said they found no evidence the man relieved himself at any point between the mountain closing at 4 p.m. March 31 and reopening at 8 a.m. the next day. Perhaps most puzzling, he also had no skis or poles when he finally dismounted the lift at Gore Mountain Ski Center on April 1, according to Olean Times Herald.
All these questions led investigators to conclude Hyde was lying when he accused Gore Mountain of abandoning him. They charged the 37-year-old North Creek man with providing a false statement to police. And last week, after three days of testimony from 16 witnesses, jurors found Hyde guilty of the misdemeanor charge.
The Warren County District Attorney called for jail time. But acting Johnsburg Town Justice Eric Schwenker instead issued a $1,000 fine and a conditional one-year discharge. If Hyde fails to meet the conditions of the sentence, he risks up to a year in Warren County Jail.
The ruling caps off seven months of speculation and investigation surrounding the bizarre incident. While it’s unclear why Hyde would lie about being stranded, the Times Herald reported he used to work at Gore Mountain.
And despite the judgment, Hyde still has an open lawsuit against the state of New York, Gore Mountain, and its parent company, Olympic Regional Development Authority. It remains to be seen whether Hyde will appeal the verdict.
