A man who ran naked through the Teton County Fair’s Demolition Derby in July is making a formal apology to the community.

Seamus McKinney, 25, sent a letter to the editor of the Jackson Hole News & Guide on Friday morning.

In it he says, “I was wrong to streak and regret it more than I know how to say. I would strongly discourage anyone who is considering carrying on this dumb tradition.”

The full text of McKinney’s letter will appear in Wednesday’s News & Guide.

The letter comes only days after 9th Circuit Judge Timothy C. Day signed a plea agreement in McKinney’s case.

McKinney was initially charged with one felony count of interference with a peace officer and two misdemeanor counts of the same charge, along with a misdemeanor count of child endangering. He faced maximum penalties of 10 years in jail and $10,000 in fines for the felony and one year in jail and $1,000 in fines for each of the misdemeanors.

According to McKinney’s plea agreement, he will serve 40 hours of community service with the 2007 Teton County Fair and a year of supervised probation for one count of misdemeanor interference with a peace officer. All other charges, which were reduced to misdemeanors in January, were dismissed.

“I apologize sincerely to those who were offended by my actions,” McKinney wrote in the letter.

McKinney was arrested after authorities tried to stop him while he streaked through the derby July 31 and launched himself into a sheriff’s deputy. The deputy began hitting McKinney in the side.

The deputy’s actions in that case and in another incident with a streaker the year before drew condemnation as being excessive from some residents in the community, while others supported the way the streakers were handled.

There were 13 law enforcement officers at the most recent derby, more than in previous years. They posted signs warning that streakers would be charged with child endangering.

The fair board has since decided not to serve alcohol at the event and to sell fewer tickets in an effort to curb rowdy behavior.