MILLINOCKET (AP) – A paraglider who launched from Mount Katahdin last June has avoided paying a $200 fine for his high-flying adventure.

State employee Christopher Kroot argued that he didn’t violate the letter of the law at Baxter State Park, where rules forbid the piloting of “any model craft, hot air balloon or hang gliding device of any kind.”

Last month, District Court Judge Kevin Stitham agreed with Kroot’s argument that the rules didn’t specifically forbid paragliding.

“If you want to outlaw something, you have to be as specific as possible,” District Attorney Christopher Almy said Monday.

Kroot, 47, and another man climbed Katahdin and used paragliders to launch from the Tablelands just below the 5,267-foot summit.

The Bangor Daily News, which first reported on the incident, said Kroot had tried several times since 2002 before succeeding in paragliding from Katahdin on June 16, 2007. A video of the episode was posted on YouTube.com.

Afterward, state police issued summonses to both men. Rufus Hellendale of Brooksville paid the $200 fine but Kroot decided to fight it.

In 2006 the park created a rule, Kroot said, that bans model craft, hot-air balloons and hang gliders in response to concern that his attempts to launch off Mount Katahdin might trigger a costly rescue mission if he should fail.

Kroot contended that a paraglider does not use a fixed wing like a hang glider. Instead, he was hanging from underneath a parachute.

Kroot, who is a geographic information systems manager for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, didn’t immediately return phone calls and e-mails from The Associated Press seeking comment on the case.

Richard Johnson, an old buddy of Kroot’s dating back to Gardiner High School, handled the case for him in Millinocket District Court.

AP-ES-02-04-08 1337EST

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