Tips from public help catch pair photographed defacing ancient petroglyph, Utah cops say
Tips from the public helped catch a pair of people who deputies said were photographed defacing ancient petroglyphs in southern Utah.
“The individuals from the defacing incident at Wire Pass have been located and officials have been in contact with them,” the Kane County Sheriff’s Office said in a Dec. 2 post on Facebook. “Thanks for all the tips and calls that helped to solve this case.”
The agency did not provide further identifying information or mention any pending charges. Photos originally shared to the agency’s Facebook page on Nov. 24 show what appears to be someone carving into one of the walls of a cultural site as another person seems to watch, McClatchy News previously reported.
The site is near the confluence of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch and is in one of the southernmost counties in the state, a more than 300-mile drive south from Salt Lake City, deputies said.
The vandalism was reported on Nov. 23, deputies said. The sheriff’s office partnered with the Bureau of Land Management to investigate.
People pushed for strong consequences such as substantial fines, jail time and banishment from national parks in the comments.
“Hope they get to sit in jail for awhile and think about what they did to our backyard,” someone said. “I hope they get a hefty fine with banishment from our national parks and public lands. These kind of people with zero regard and respect for our lands don’t deserve to enjoy it.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Tips from public help catch pair photographed defacing ancient petroglyph, Utah cops say."
