Reader comments
Mother, daughter plead guilty in artifacts theft case

Anyone Know | 12:22 p.m. July 6, 2009

Can anyone tell me how to find out when the others go before the judge to plea? Very interested in what the others do. It looks like maybe the Redds are going to be used to make the case even stronger against the others. Very curious.

agree | 12:46 p.m. July 6, 2009

Why wasn't all this stuff sacred when the government was exterminating the Indians way back when. I suppose pots and necklaces are more important than people.

get off it!!! anymouse | 2:18 p.m. July 6, 2009

number 1, it is illegal, 2 just because you can doesn't make it legal 3 live the law of the land 4 i am sure your wise church leaders gave council follow.. when a general authority says it's ok to dig up the dead then go ahead. Forth if that develops besure to tell all the members over in new zealand , hawaii , australia that is ok to start escavating because where ever them people went must not have been sacred...then open it up to nauvoo and anywhere the LDS faith went on their long walk. Then finally these artifacts were overkill to say the least...wasn't everyone irrate when those LDS elders took those pictures of disturbing that catholic shrine in colorado. Or is this just another form of spiritual genocide or lack of respect for people who were here before you? For such a supposedly spiritual people it is beyond me how the truth does not ring louder must be blocked by the almighty dollar. Right now there are members and non-members writing the church authorities to express their out rage of some who claim "everybody does it"you do

Comments continue below

jake | 2:24 p.m. July 6, 2009

Never, ever, plead guilty to anything. They should have taken this to trial.

Living in Blanding | 2:29 p.m. July 6, 2009

is like living in Nazi land for a native american judging by some of these comments!

@12:37 | 3:32 p.m. July 6, 2009

Government owns the property. You take something off that property it is called stealing. It is a federal offense therefor a crime.

So you say that they raided these "non-criminal, homes", the fact that they STOLE makes them criminals.

Also. Have you ever thought that maybe the Native American people do not want publicity, but to have their heritage honored as they honor it. Plundering their heritage seems like a greater offense than you give it credit for.

Please think before you speak. Twice in the head, once out of the mouth.

shhh | 3:42 p.m. July 6, 2009

Dig for life, and if you dont like it then dont do it.

WHAT IS THE SAYING OF THIEFS | 3:52 p.m. July 6, 2009

and liers not being able to trust each other? Sounds like they just didn't care now that they care it is the ones who they dont care about that better start caring!

Eagle | 3:52 p.m. July 6, 2009

Let's see if I understand - the daughter was charged with digging a broken clay vessel out of the dirt, repairing it and then displaying it in her home.

Sounds like we should watch our landfills for possible other crimminals. They might dig up a broken Miracle Whip jar!

Jail time | 4:23 p.m. July 6, 2009

So much for innocent community members. These grave-diggers deserve jail time.

They did the crime it's time to do the time.

A Navajo | 5:35 p.m. July 6, 2009

in Blanding sent a text. "Don't pickup beer cans on the reservation, they are future Indian artifacts". He makes more sense than all of you do gooders who don't want anyone taking home an old broken dish and spending hours glueing the puzzle back together to put on their shelf. Shame on you!

RLyman | 6:30 p.m. July 6, 2009

This abusive intrusion of government should anger all of us, and concern us that our humane rights can be trampled so flagrantly by the federal government. That leaders such as Ken Salazar can make such crass statements in support of the abuse. No one in Blanding has said that the people invovled did not break the law. It is the objectionable enforecement of the law that is in question. While these are crimes, they do not warrant the physical and verbal abuse used by these "enforcement officials". When was the last time any of you were handcuffed for jay walking, speeding, or political officials prosecuted for smoking marijuana (even if they don't inhale) or lying to the people and congress under oath. You are a fool to think that there is not a double standard being applied. Few of these objects are burial objects, they are found in trash piles, storage pits, in holes, plowed up in fields, exposed in washes. As far as cultural heritage, the Navajos and Utes are no more descendants of the Anasazi than people of European or Asian descent. The people of Blanding have a great deal of reverance for that ancient culture.

Clair Ellis | 10:25 p.m. July 6, 2009

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread and was sentenced to 5 years.

In the Robin Hood tales, the penalty for killing a deer on the king's land was death.

Today, the penalty for taking a discarded clay pot from government land is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

We are repeating the drama of history.

To: RLyman | 11:13 p.m. July 6, 2009

To: RLyman
Prison if full of people that feel that law enforcement was heavy handed during their arrest. They all claim to be innocent as well.

If you don't want to be roughed up by the cops, don't break the law!

Red Neck | 6:20 a.m. July 7, 2009

Federal Property belongs to the People, The Government is not a seperate enity.
State Property is also property of the People.
This is what is wrong with America.
Without the People the State is Nothing.

observing | 9:29 a.m. July 7, 2009

Believe me, I'm not in support of desecrating Native American burial grounds or anything of the sort, but I think it's horrible that these "thieves" are being punished so severely for removing artifacts from Federal Property. That a felony count can be assigned to a single pot or jar is ridiculous. Three clay pots = three felony counts. And worse yet that a man can feel so embarrased and upset that he takes his own life because of an old piece of pottery? Where does mercy rob justice here? When ancient Native Americans were alive it would have been robbery; they are the only ones who could make a claim on it. Now it shouldn't belong to anyone.

Red Man | 9:39 a.m. July 7, 2009

Quit crying you control all the Indian money in all the programs , this is a little old fashion karma coming down...too many white chiefs and not enough Real Indians...but then it is all passed aside because why the utes or navajoes aren't really from this area but the money why that's another matter.

Differences | 11:43 a.m. July 7, 2009

Are there diffences? These people took things from Tribal lands, not just Federal lands. And is this any different from rock hounding the BLM lands in the West Desert, watching the ground constantly hoping to find an arrowhead? If it's no different then there are tens of thousands of people who need jailtime, me included.

The fact that the feds are getting more uptight about this now is concerning. They've sent the wrong message for years that this type of casual hounding is OK and now it's not. Agreed that digging artifacts on Tribal lands is very different than finding a trash heap of discarded arrowheads and shards, but those disparate messages are now causing people pain and suffering, when it probably shouldn't.

ok | 2:23 p.m. July 7, 2009

now i know why crazy horse and others wanted their bodies buried where no one could find them and they aren' even my relatives. you play you pay!these are grown ups who know the difference and chose to defile the dead...sometimes man's law is small in comparison.

Blind justice | 3:17 p.m. July 7, 2009

Think about how long these thieves would get if it was a "single pot" of narcotics that they were caught with... instead of a "single pot" or artifact.

There are people in jail for years for small jars of contraband. Why are these people any different than common thieves?

debbie | 4:01 p.m. July 7, 2009

At least they took care of the items after they dug them up. The informant was a drug dealer who was dealt a deal instead of prison. Most of the items were from the Anazias. Look them up for more information. By the way all of you that have take rocks, soil, sand off of any land please return it.

hey blind justice | 4:13 p.m. July 7, 2009

the reason WHY? they didn't go through your local court which is so famous for acquital..on these bloaks and that is why it is not a single pot...truckloads...now go back to your anthill!!

Anonymous | 6:17 p.m. July 7, 2009

In 1971 Claude Dallas guns down and then methodically executes two Idaho Fish and Game Wardens in a remote and illegal trapping camp on the Idaho Nevada Border. A Utah Army National Guard Officer and Pilot hijacks and holds an airliner hostage for ransom and bails out over the Nevada Desert and escapes using a helicopter he pre positioned on federal Lands. Later escapes from a federal prison and is killed in a violent shoot out with Federal Agents. In North Dakota a Posse Comantatae member in Federal Custody for Federal tax evasion breaks a ketchup bottle over the head of a Federal marshall and then cuts his throat. I can go on and on about the Ruby Ridges on U. S. Forest Service land or even the Timothy McVeigh bombing of a Federal Building in Oklahoma City. the point is people these are the significant cases that set the precedant for why the federal agents use what may seem to be strong arm tactics. Some of the men involved in this case were known to carry firearms and handguns while carrying out their midnight maurading and illegal activities. What do you expect...a bunch of flowers and caroling???? Growup!

lkl | 6:18 p.m. July 7, 2009

You don't ynderstand all of the 24 were not digging up bodies. You can walk across a field. in your own back yard, on public land, and on private land, and find trinkets and trash. They the majority of the 24 didn't dig. San Juan county has thousands of sites every where. We can dig for a sprinkler system, sidewalk, or a basement, work in the flowers and find stuff. Yes even pots.

To Eagle | 6:23 p.m. July 7, 2009

Love your comment-Need more like you.
AHALLS

how | 1:11 a.m. July 8, 2009

about a compromise, get your artifacts back, and for that, please don't hide behind the "sovereign nation" idiocracy anymore.

Anonymous | 9:10 a.m. July 8, 2009

These people were digging for artifacts to sell and make money. Theft is a crime, the crimes against NAtive MAericans in thsi country have been minimilized and sanitized for fat too long. Everyone involved in this if guilty of theft should go to jail. i worked in utha in Archcaeology and the attitudes of Mormons and oters are disguisting, hatefull and far from christian. phoney money grabbers do not deserve any consideratoin a cfrime is a crime, greed is greed I hope they all serve a long term.

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Barton Glasser, Deseret News

Federal prosecutors Richard McKelvie, left, and Carlie Christensen answer questions Monday outside the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City about the artifact thefts.