Colorado tourists slapped with federal charges for stealing historic artifacts from national park

A brace of visitors from Colorado are facing national charges aft they allegedly stole galore historical artifacts from a nationalist park successful Utah.

Roxanne McKnight, 39, and Dusty Spencer, 43, are accused of trespassing successful a fenced-off historical area wrong Canyonlands National Park known arsenic Cave Springs Cowboy Camp and stealing aggregate preserved artifacts — including ancient nails — connected March 23, nan US Attorney’s Utah territory agency said Monday.

The brace blatantly ignored nan fencing and clear “no trespassing” signs astatine nan historical site, which houses artifacts from nan camps of pioneer cattle ranchers betwixt nan precocious 1800s and 1975, nan attorney’s agency added.

The campy besides holds stone carvings done by Indigenous tribes making love backmost immoderate 6,000 to 7,000 years.

“Entering, rubbing aliases climbing connected archeological sites is strictly prohibited,” nan parkland website states.

McKnight and Spencer were allegedly captured connected way cameras hopping nan obstruction and handling nan artifacts, KSL reported.

They allegedly removed artifacts from a furniture and “handled historical harnesses successful a mode that had imaginable to harm them,” parkland rangers said.

Both are charged pinch theft of authorities spot nether $1,000, possessing archaeological resources, and stepping connected aliases entering archaeological resource.

McKnight and Spencer are owed successful tribunal connected Nov. 8.

The National Park Service is continuing to analyse nan case.