Case dropped against man in wife’s fatal BASE jump

ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah — Prosecutors are dismissing a misdemeanor citation filed against the husband of a Utah woman who died when her parachute failed to open after she leapt from a peak overlooking Zion National Park.

Officials at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Utah say 29-year-old Clayton Butler was cited for jumping from a natural feature Saturday, the day his 28-year-old wife jumped to her death from Mount Kinesava.

BASE jumping is banned in the park. The misdemeanor carries a fine of up to $5,000 and six months in jail, according to Park spokeswoman Aly Baltrus.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that while the jump was illegal, the interests of justice don’t warrant prosecuting the husband.

Butler’s wife, Amber Bellows, jumped from the mountain first, but fell about 2,000 feet when her parachute failed.

Butler jumped next, but couldn’t reach his wife’s body. It was recovered the next day.

The couple was married in Salt Lake City two weeks before Bellows’ death.