Prosecution of Petroglyph Theft

Friday, February 12, 2010

INCIDENTS

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Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
NPS Assists Forest Service In Petroglyph Theft Case

A man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on felony charges that he unlawfully removed and damaged a large petroglyph from Forest Service lands in the Spring Mountains National Recreational Area near Pahrump, Nevada. Michael Cook, 57, of Pahrump, is charged with one count of violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. If convicted, Cook faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is charged under the felony provisions of the statute because the archeological resource is valued at more than $500. According to the indictment, between March and September 2008, Cook knowingly excavated, removed, damaged, and otherwise altered and defaced a large petroglyph depicting seven sheep from Spring Mountains NRA without a permit or exemption. Nye County Sheriff’s Department officials discovered the rock containing the petroglyph in Cook’s front yard in Pahrump on June 24, 2009, and reported it to the Forest Service. The rock weighed about 200 pounds. Cook was issued a summons and is scheduled for an initial appearance and arraignment on Friday, February 26th. This investigation is being conducted by the Forest Service, with the assistance of the law enforcement team of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) which includes the Forest Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service (Lake Mead National Recreation Area), and the Bureau of Land Management. [Submitted by Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]