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From: Brian Kenny - MCDOT
To: 'z AzTeC SW Archaeology SIG'
Cc: 'z Matthias Giessler'
Subject: Archaeological Vandalism
Date: Monday, April 29, 1996 1:00PM
[ AzTeC / SWA SASIG ]:
Archaeological vandalism is a major problem throughout the United States.
The new magazine titled "Common Ground" (Volume 1 Number 1, Spring 1996),
published by the National Park Service (NPS), carries some interesting
information about vandals.
Common Ground (CG) cites the case of Frederick J. Lindauer -- convicted of
an ARPA violation in 1989. The article noted that Lindauer hid artifacts
from the authorities after his conviction. His estranged wife was
interviewed by the FBI on matters unrelated to archaeological vandalism; the
police searched Lindauer's home as part of a narcotics investigation and
discovered the artifacts. Lindauer was indicted yet again, and now is
serving a two year sentence.
CG cites another case -- the Olustee Battlefield (of 1864) -- in which
vandals crept throught the site wearing camouflage fatigues, using
night-vision goggles and metal detectors to loot the site. The two men were
arrested on the site one night, but only after one of them fired a shot at
law officers. A third partner was later arrested. The trio is awaiting
trial.
CG reprises the case of Earl Shumwway in Utah. He was already serving time
for an unrelated burglary when he received an ARPA conviction for looting
sites. He recently was sentenced to prison. Shumway's partner is under
home confinement and must wear an ankle transmitter which reports if he
ventures more than 150 ft from his house without permission.
CG also reports Charles Snyder's sentencing for selling artifacts removed
from Custer Battlefield. Two other persons were involved in this case.
Interestingly, Snyder obtained the Custer Battlefield artifacts by trading
them in exchange for Nazi memorabilia. He later tried to sell the artifacts
on consignment through an auction house.
Finally, CG reports a case resulting in the conviction of three men in
Klamath County District Court. In this case, the men were looting and
selling Native American human remains and associated funerary objects to
finance a methamphetamine labortatory.
To obtain a free subscription to Common Ground, please contact:
National Park Service, Archaeology and Ethnography Program
P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127
Phone: (202) 343-4101 / Fax: (202) 523-1547
E-mail: <[log in to unmask]> or <[log in to unmask]>
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These are interesting connections -- Narcotics investigations; camouflage
fatigues; night vision goggles and metal detectors; burglary; Nazi
memorabilia; and, methamphetamine labortatories. IF such reporting by the
NPS magazine Common Ground, and federal and state law enforcement agencies,
is correct, archaeological vandalism appears to be about much more than diggin
g and stealing artifacts.
The view that archaeological vandalism is related to other more serious
crimes is repeated by Erny Kuncl <[log in to unmask]> in a 1995 article
titled " Pot for Pots: Archaeological Site Vandalism-Drug Connection (Drug
Dealers Make An Exchange)." (See
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/link.html> or
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/pothunt.html> ).
For more on vandalism, take a look at these article on the Southwestern
Archaeology Special Interest Group (SASIG):
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message52.html>
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message61.html>
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message62.html>
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message69.html>
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message78.html>
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message83.html>
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message117.html>
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/discussion/message120.html>
The hot link titled "Where to report vandalism" currently runs on SWA AZ
page at <http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/az.html>.
Under "Where to report Vandalism"
<http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/swa/vandalism.html>, SWA lists Arizona phone
numbers for reporting archaeological vandalism. Today SWA will be adding to
this page the following info:
"24 hour ARPA Hotline 1-800-722-3998"
SWA desperately needs vandalism reporting phone numbers for southeast CA and
NV; UT, CO, NM; and, west TX, Sonora and Chihuahua. If you have national,
statewide or county contact numbers or other information to share, please
contact <[log in to unmask]>.
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