From Deseret News archives:
Man charged with vandalism
Jeremy Shane Craig faces a third-degree felony charge for alleged violation of the antiquities protection law, said the Emery County Attorney's Office. The maximum possible sentence is zero to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Craig, who was arrested and released on bail, is to appear Sept. 21 in Castle Dale before 7th District Judge Bruce K. Halliday. A charge is pending against another person, according to the attorney's office.
Prosecutors are not sure of the second person's whereabouts, said Deputy Emery County Attorney Brent Langston.
The vandalism is believed to have occurred about July 19. Chalking on the sandstone wall near ancient paintings denoted the phrase "I Love You Wendy" — the "I" was a picture of an eye, the word "love" was symbolized by a heart, "you" was a large letter "U," and "Wendy" was written out.
A $1,000 reward for information had been posted by the Emery County sheriff's office, the Bureau of Land Management and a local group concerned about restoring historic sites, said Emery County Sheriff LaMar Guymon.
Three people came forward with information, he said. "The reward is based on arrest and conviction," he added. If a conviction results, "we will distribute the reward."
The sheriff's office is appreciative of the information, Guymon added. "The reward had everything to do with it, I think — and just citizens coming forward."
This is not the first time that the large panel of Barrier Canyon pictographs has been damaged. For many years it carried graffiti such as a forged inscription: "1846 Jim Bridger."
In 1994, the panel was repaired through efforts of local citizens and private donations. Fencing, interpretive signs and other facilities were installed. But 10 years later it was hit again.
BLM archaeologist Julie A. Howard, Salt Lake City, said the agency is pleased with the tips from the public. "We need more people to be our eyes and ears. . . . Vandalism to rock art, whether from ignorance or malice, has resulted in irreparable damage."
A report by Constance S. Silver of Preservar Inc., a conservation expert who worked to restore the panel, noted that after authorities requested that the public not try to remove the vandalism, someone tried to take it off by washing off the chalk and covering that part of the panel with mud.
Unfortunately, the attempt just made things worse.
Until now, the surface of the rock was a rosy color, tinted by the "very fragile" desert varnish that formed naturally on the sandstone centuries ago, Silver wrote. "The vandalism and subsequent 'washing' and mud application totally destroyed the desert varnish. As a result, the panel has been irreparably damaged."
More than two days of work was needed to treat the vandalism. On Aug. 7 and 8, the mud was removed and the raw surface of the rock was recolored with watercolors and pastels. Conservation and treatment costs amounted to $2,500.
This treatment will have a life span of no more than eight to 10 years, Silver said. "The area will have to be visually reintegrated" unless a major breakthrough occurs in conservation of rock art.
E-mail: bau@desnews.com
