Colorado residents face federal charges from incident at Canyonlands archeological site

A screenshot of people that Canyonlands National Park officials say illegally entered the Cave Spring Cowboy Camp and handled objects on March 23. Two people from Colorado were charged in U.S. District Court on Monday.

A screenshot of people that Canyonlands National Park officials say illegally entered the Cave Spring Cowboy Camp and handled objects on March 23. Two people from Colorado were charged in U.S. District Court on Monday. (Canyonlands National Park)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Colorado residents Roxanne McKnight and Dusty Spencer face federal charges for theft and disruption at Canyonlands National Park.
  • They allegedly entered a restricted area, handling and taking artifacts from the Cave Spring Cowboy Camp.
  • The site contains historic and prehistoric artifacts, with clear warnings prohibiting entry.

MOAB — A pair of Colorado residents are facing federal charges tied to a theft and disruption incident at an archeological site at Canyonlands National Park reported earlier this year.

Roxanne McKnight, 39, and Dusty Spencer, 43, both of Durango, Colorado, were charged in U.S. District Court Monday with theft of government property (less than $1,000), as well as possessing or distributing cultural/archaeological resources and walking on or entering archaeological/cultural resource, all misdemeanor offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The charges were filed months after Canyonlands National Park officials reported an incident at the Cave Spring Cowboy Camp on the park's Cave Spring Trail on March 23. A National Park Service trail camera placed outside the site captured a man and a woman entering a fenced-off area before handling "numerous historic artifacts" from the site, according to federal prosecutors.

A charging document alleges antique nails were also taken from the site.

Park rangers posted screenshots of two people in May, asking for help identifying them as they investigated the case. In a statement at the time, park officials wrote that the two captured on camera "removed artifacts from a cabinet and handled historic harnesses in a manner that had potential to damage them." Information gathered since then led to the filed charges.

Cave Spring Cowboy Camp features a mix of historic and prehistoric artifacts, according to park officials. The site features various "original" artifacts from camps set up by pioneer cattlemen between the late 1800s through 1975 when cattle ranching stopped at the park.

"The cowboys cooked over an open fire, using Dutch ovens and other simple cookware," park historians wrote, describing the site. "Cowboys established the camp at Cave Spring because of the reliable water source. Rainwater percolating through layers of porous sandstone forms these seeps. Moisture hastens erosion of the rock face and carves alcoves."

Prehistoric rock markings from indigenous tribes who lived 6,000 to 700 years ago also exist at the site. Both are why the park's website asks that people "do not enter the camp, touch or remove the objects." Park officials add, "entering, touching or climbing on archeological sites is strictly prohibited."

Prosecutors said there are "clear warnings prohibiting visitors from entering the area."

Neither McKnight nor Spencer have any criminal history in Utah, according to state court records. Both are scheduled to make an initial appearance at the U.S. District Court in Moab on Friday.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

Most recent Police & Courts stories

Related topics

OutdoorsHistoricEastern UtahSouthern UtahPolice & Courts
Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL.com. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.
KSL.com Beyond Series

KSL Weather Forecast

KSL Weather Forecast
Play button