[jeffmacewen]

Las Vegas Sun


Man gets 15 months for shooting paint balls at petroglyphs


Aug. 22, 2011



A 21-year-old Arizona resident received a 15-month federal prison sentence
today after pleading guilty to using a paint-ball
gun to shoot at petroglyphs in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in
March 2010, Nevada's U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden
said.

David Smith of Bullhead City also was ordered by U.S. District Judge
Philip Pro to pay $9,995 in restitution and perform 50
hours of community service.

Smith was sentenced following a two-hour hearing in which members of six
Colorado River Native American tribes addressed the
court. He pleaded guilty May 18 to unlawful defacement of an
archaeological resource, a felony violation of the
Archaeological Resources Protection Act.

Smith admitted that while he was in Grapevine Canyon, he shot paint-ball
pellets at Native American rock art panels and
petroglyphs. The canyon lies within the Lake Mead National Recreational
Area and is just west of Laughlin. The area contains
more than 700 petroglyphs and numerous rock shelters, and is listed on the
Interior Department's National Register of
Historical Places.

Smith admitted that when he entered the canyon, he passed signs stating
that it contained cultural resources and that it was
illegal to damage and deface them. He also admitted he knew the
petroglyphs were important to Native Americans.
Smith used a fully automatic paint-ball gun and oil-based pellets to shoot
at the petroglyphs. Roughly 38 areas containing
petroglyphs were defaced, and hundreds of paint balls were scattered and
recovered from the canyon. A National Park Service
ranger responded to the scene, following a report that individuals were in
the canyon with spray paint. Smith was with two
other individuals, including a 12-year-old boy.

Colorado River tribes view the Grapevine Canyon area as sacred and believe
it is the birthplace of many tribes. Archeologists
believe the area has been inhabited and used by humans for at least 1,100
years.
This investigation was conducted by the National Park Service,and was
prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Bliss
and Nadia Ahmed.

[jeffmacewen]

I hope he's popular with his fellow inmates.

[sidhayes]

Popular? You mean that you want him beaten to a pulp or killed?

[kevinweitzel75]

What a pumpkin. Should shoot him with paintballs.

[Patrick L]

Let's see him mess with a 'glyph again.

[Jim Lyding]

The bad thing is that he admitted his guilt to the court because it would have been very entertaining to read his excuse for being such an idiot.

[mnlumberjack]

I wish stories like this would get more media attention to show some of these "kids" what can happen to them when they go off on a destructive tangent. Congrats to those who turned them in.

[jeffmacewen]

Popular? You mean that you want him beaten to a pulp or killed?

Oh yes, of course! That's exactly what I meant - getting beaten to a pulp or death are obviously both completely fair fates for someone who defaced something. Just call me Saddam!

What I actually meant was that he will probably be the laughing stock of the place. Imagine:

"What are you in for?"
"Plotting to bomb an airport and kill infidels, you?"
"I shot paint-balls at some petroglyphs like a dumb redneck..."

[azbackpackr]

"What're you in for, kid?"

I said, "Litterin" and they all moved away from me on the bench, until I said, "And creatin' a nuisance," then they all moved back..."

Arlo Guthrie, Alice's Restaurant.

[kingsnake]

Anybody who has ever passed through a MEPS (military entrance processing station) knows Arlo was singing the truth. I saw him about 15 years ago at a club. He played the first few bars of the song, stopped, said "That's the shortest version of that song you'll ever hear", everybody laughed, and he went on to the next song. Really fun show ...

[azbackpackr]

Well, then you know. I didn't have to look up those lyrics on the internet...they're ingrained in my head forever!

[Patrick L]

The bad thing is that he admitted his guilt to the court because it would have been very entertaining to read his excuse for being such an idiot.

"The deer was coming right at me!"

[big_load]

Well, then you know. I didn't have to look up those lyrics on the internet...they're ingrained in my head forever!

Same here. I just couldn't keep myself from mentally adding: "... and creating a nuisance."

[azbackpackr]

Well, then you know. I didn't have to look up those lyrics on the internet...they're ingrained in my head forever!

Same here. I just couldn't keep myself from mentally adding: "... and creating a nuisance."

[jeffmacewen]

The bad thing is that he admitted his guilt to the court because it would have been very entertaining to read his excuse for being such an idiot.

"The deer was coming right at me!"