Why Did 'Life Below Zero' Star Chip Hailstone Go to Jail?
Chip's actions that landed him in jail were considered altruistic by many.
Published Aug. 22 2025, 4:01 p.m. ET
Living in the oft-sub-zero temperatures of the Alaskan wilderness takes a special sort of person. Especially so when the people who live there decide to live solely off the land and embrace the rugged wild, letting the harsh mistress that is the Frozen North dictate their family's successes and failures.
Fans got to know one such family, the Hailstones, through National Geographic's Life Below Zero.
The series taught us what it was like to live in some of the world's most inhospitable and yet breathtakingly beautiful wilderness, making a living day by day. Fans of the show got to know the Hailstones, including patriarch Chip Hailstone. And he seems like a pretty laid-back guy. So, it may surprise you to learn that he once went to jail. Here's what we know about why Chip went to jail, and what he and his family prioritize as they live on the edge of the wilds.
Why did Chip Hailstone go to jail?
If you're asked to close your eyes and picture a rugged outdoorsman who's eking a living out of the Alaskan wilderness, what do you picture? Is it a big, burly, bearded man with arms the size of tree trunks?
Well, Chip Hailstone isn't exactly that. Although he's certainly tough enough for his wilderness life, the friendly and balding Alaskan homesteader seems like a kinder and gentler version of the woolly lumberjack you might be picturing.
Which is why it may be so surprising to learn that he went to prison for 15 months starting in 2017. According to The Cinemaholic, Chip's charges included felony perjury and false testimony.
Records show that Chip had filed a temporary restraining order against Christopher Bitz, a Kotzebue-based Alaska State Trooper, on behalf of his daughter. He claimed Bitz was stalking her and assaulted her.
Chip has always maintained that he told the truth, even suggesting that audio tapes were altered to make it seem like he was giving false testimony. An audio forensics expert did determine that the recordings were "interrupted," but it wasn't enough to clear Chip.
While it may have been impossible for a "little guy" like Chip to fight the policing system, it's clear that he would do anything for his children's safety, and likely considered it a fair price to pay. He served his time and was released.
Here's what we know about Chip's family.
The incident of Chip's brush with jail is a prime indicator of the priorities he has in his life. Chip and his wife Agnes prioritize family and harmony with nature over all.
Together, Chip and Agnes have seven children — five daughters and two sons. The duo shares Qutan, Tinmiaq, Iriqtaq, Caroline, and Mary, and Agnes has two sons, Douglas and Jon, from a previous relationship.
On his X (formerly Twitter) bio, Chip declared, "I hunt, fish, and gather to make a good honest living." He leaves off the part where he went to jail for attempting to protect his daughter, but that should probably earn an honorable mention as well.