[jeffmacewen]

Police: Break-in reported at Kartchner Caverns
By Brian J. Pedersen
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.13.2009

A break-in was reported Monday morning at Kartchner Caverns State Park south of Benson, officials said.
An unknown number of individuals forced their way into the lower portal of the cavern some time Sunday night, according to a news release issued by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department.
Damage was reported to an area of straw stalactites in one section of the cavern, and evidence left behind suggests the suspects left the trails to walk into the mud overflow stone formations of the areas known as the Tarantula Room and the Big Room, the release said.

[chumley]

We should find a man-made concrete cave to put them in. Forever.

[jeffmacewen]

I'm not sure we have a punishment commensurate with the gravity of this offense.

[Preston the yeti]

I wonder what the motivation was to break into the cave. Do stolen cave formations have some sort of monetary value, or was this just random destruction?

[jeffmacewen]

This, to me, sounds like punks who don't like to be told that they cannot go somewhere. It's a pervasive attitude, nowadays. I'm basing my assumption off the fact that they journeyed a ways into the cave through the mud, etc. Someone bent on formation theft probably would have just grabbed whatever he could from the walking path. I could be wrong, however...

[Rob del Desierto]

Do stolen cave formations have some sort of monetary value

Yes.

[big_load]

Jerks.

[writelots]

Yup - I'm thinking deep dark hole for eternity for these punks. As long as we value things, though, there will be people who want to ruin them...

[jeffmacewen]

If they like stalactites so much I can think of some creative places we can...um...shove one for them!!

[Brooke]

OMG! This is just awful! So sad. I live about 10 minutes away from there. I will definantly keep an eye out for them.