Woman arrested, suspected of vandalizing petroglyphs
Dec 3, 2024, 12:03 PM | Updated: 5:08 pm
Image provided by the Bureau of Land Management. A woman suspected of vandalizing petroglyphs in Southern Utah has been arrested. (Bureau of Land Management)
(Bureau of Land Management)
KANAB, Utah — A woman suspected of vandalizing petroglyphs in Southern Utah has been arrested.
The defaced petroglyph panel is near the BLM’s Wire Pass Trail, in Kane County.
The arrest happened, in part, thanks to help from the public said BLM Paria River District Manager Harry Barber.
“We appreciate when the public steps in to at least provide us information. In this case, the public recognized what was going on,” Barber said in a statement on YouTube.
In this case, according to Barber, members of the public saw the vandalism taking place, told the suspects what they were doing wasn’t right, and then took photos as the vandalism continued. Barber said the photos were especially helpful and led to an arrest.
The suspect, Daniela Ganassim Ericksen, is being held in Washington County. She was taken into custody in St. George on Nov. 30.
ALLEGED VANDAL ARRESTED – Thanks to widespread support and vigilance, an arrest was made in the petroglyph cultural site vandalism at the BLM’s Wire Pass Trail in Kane Co. The suspect was taken into custody on Nov. 30 on felony charges in St. George by BLM law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/99ChHxy0Xw
— Bureau of Land Management Utah (@BLMUtah) December 3, 2024
Earlier on Monday, the Kane County Sheriff’s office announced on Facebook that “individuals from the defacing incident at Wire Pass have been located and officials have been in contact with them.”
Wire Pass is a day hike, and according to the BLM “is used as a beginning or end point for trips through Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon.”
(U.S. Geological Survey)
