Advertise:   ads@blueearthmarketing.com   712.224.5420

Law
Man says he stole petroglyphs to protect them


A non-Indian man whose government theft conviction was overturned by a federal appeals court says he removed petroglyphs from federal land in Nevada to protect them.

"We didn't do this because we wanted to put them on e-Bay," Carroll Mizell told the Associated Press in an interview.

Mizell, who served 10 months in prison after being convicted by a federal jury, says his life has been wrecked by the case. "My name was trashed in the community. I was made out to be a thief, man � like I'm a rock thief, I attacked the Indian culture. It was as if we might as well just gone and dug up some graves the way they treated us," he told the AP.

Mizell claims he and John Ligon wanted to save the three ancient petroglyphs from development. He says they wanted to give them to a museum.

Get the Story:
Oregon man cleared of petroglyph theft says 'my life was trashed' (AP 3/22)
pwpwd

Government Theft Case:
US v. Ligon (March 20, 2006)

Related Case:
US v Lynch, No 99-30325 (December 7, 2000)

Relevant Links:
Washoe Tribe - http://www.washoetribe.us
Friends of Sierra Rock Art - http://www.sierrarockart.org

Related Stories:
Artifact theft convictions thrown out by federal court (3/22)
Jury convicts men for stealing government property (06/03)
Jury struggling with verdict in artifact removal case (6/2)
Men defend removal of tribal petroglyphs in Nev. (01/30)
Two men indicted for stealing ancient petroglyphs (10/09)
Secret witness tip leads to return of petroglyphs (09/17)
Prison sentence for Alaska Native grave disturber (9/27)
Court to rehear eagle protection cases (8/9)
Minn. man sentenced for eagle violation (5/31)
Man pleads guilty to selling artifacts (11/2)
Undercover sting nets sacred artifacts (10/02)
Govt works to protect artifacts (06/29)
Yahoo! removes auction (06/22)
Culture for Sale: Sitting Bull (06/20)
Culture for Sale: eBay (5/23)