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)
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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

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