A Utah tourist who was one of two people seen vandalizing ancient petroglyphs at a historical site has been identified.
Daniela Ganassim Ericksen was arrested on Saturday, according to Utah’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) after appearing to deface the ancient Native American rock carving.
An unnamed man was also found by police, but his information has not been publicly released.
The pair were accused of causing about $7,000 in damage between the Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch trail heads on the Utah-Arizona border on November 23.
Ericksen is being held at the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Washington County.
The BLM told KUTV: ‘It is typical to see felony charges related to the violation of the Archeological Resource Protection Act and 18 U.S. Code 1361 Willful injury or depredation of government property.
‘The cultural value will never be fully restored.’
Before the alleged culprits were found, the BLM offered a $1,000 incentive to anyone who can offer information that leads to a ‘successful prosecution’ of the suspects.
Pictures were circulated of a woman wearing pink carving something into the rock before walking towards a black sedan.
Daniela Ganassim Ericksen and a man who has not been publicly identified have been caught by police for defacing Native American carvings on November 23
The suspects were also seen as they walked out of the trails into the parking lot
The BLM said in a statement that this evidence was essential in order to hold them responsible.
The statement reads: ‘Accountability in this case would have been difficult to pursue without the awareness of public lands users and their willingness to report suspicious activities.
‘By snapping some photos and taking the time to report the incident to our field office, law enforcement was able to take action.’
Harry Barber, the district manager for the Paria River District where this incident occurred, said this behavior is not normal.
‘This is unique and I do want to point that out. The area where this happened in Wire Pass is a popular area,’ he told KUTV.
‘These people were writing their names on the panel, whatever, and members of the public actually when to them and told them “hey, you shouldn’t be doing this” and these individuals blew them off and basically ignored those members of the public.’
Buckskin Gulch features about 16 miles of unique formations and undulating sandstone walls,’ according to the BLM.
The walls have carvings of various animals including bighorn sheep that were made centuries ago by Native Americans.
Southern Utah high desert panorama above Buckskin Gulch on the Utah-Arizona border, where the two vandals damaged ancient drawings
The BLM wrote: ‘Vandalism is not only a crime punishable by the law, but this destructive behavior has lasting consequences that can never be made 100 percent whole again.’
Nature lovers and community members reacted to Ericksen’s arrest, calling her and the other alleged culprit out for their disrespectful behavior.
‘I hope they are never allowed on any public lands of national park again. People with no respect for our backyard have no business enjoying,’ one woman shared on Facebook.
Another Utah resident said: ‘I wish the public was more informed on why protecting these sites is so important, and how to behave when they visit sites in their travels.’
