I read the journal entries of the woman they are talking about. She panicked after being caught unprepared in a snowstorm. she also did not learn how to use the SPOT well enough to know to turn it off (if she could even do that) once she hit 911; she believed she had. It seems to me more of a case of someone going out on a major hike without enough of a knowledge base and getting caught in unexpected weather, The rescuers didn't even get a chance to find her, she already bailed off the trail by the time the search was called.

I don't know that she was charged or punished, or even if she's able to take in the severity of this outcome. Some people need help to "get it." Maybe she'll read the threads online (there are many) and figure it out? I hope for her sake she does.

ETA: I just looked at her gear list. It's incredibly sparse - I can't imagine it was everything she had. She got her clothes wet and then when she hit the sack she took them all off. Why she thought taking a 32F ultralight bag was a good idea, who can guess - she needed at least a 20F bag and enough layers to supplement. I don't even feel I'm prepared to tackle a PCT hike myself and I can understand how temps can drop in the sierras.... She needed a better shelter than a tarp and ultralight bivy.