Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Man who took home 300-pound boulder with petroglyph gets 6 months

A Pahrump man who moved a 300-pound boulder containing a petroglyph from the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area to the front yard of his home has been sentenced to six months in federal prison and one year of supervised release, according to the Department of Justice.

Senior U.S. District Judge Edward C. Reed Jr. sentenced 58-year-old Michael Cook after he pleaded guilty in October to a felony violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.

Cook, who previously volunteered with his wife monitoring archaeological sites on U.S. Forest Service land, admitted to removing the boulder between March and September 2008, according to Daniel G. Bogden, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Cook said he knew the boulder's petroglyph, which depicts seven sheep, was an archaeological resource that he didn't have permission to remove, officials said.

Members of the Southern Paiute tribe testified at the sentencing that the removal of the boulder with the petryglyph desecrated a sacred worship site.

An archaeologist with the U.S. Forest Service told the judge the petroglyph cannot be restored to its original condition because of damage to the boulder and the ruggedness of the site.

The government and the Southern Paiutes agreed to a compromise that will attempt to restore the site, respecting the cultural significance of the petroglyph, officials said.

Cook's front yard decoration was discovered in June 2009 when Nye County Sheriff's Department officials executed a search warrant at his house. They reported the boulder containing a petroglyph to the U.S. Forest Service.

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