Penalties

Statue of Ralphie the Buffalo on the Campus of the University of Colorado

Via Derek Fincham, I see that an Arkansas couple has been sentenced to a year of probation each, six months of jail time for the husband, and a $4,613 fine for looting a bunch of stuff from an archaeological site at Buffalo National River in January.  Fincham correctly notes that this is a rather light sentence given the damage done, and that looting is only going to continue if this is how the cases go.  In the context of the Blanding pothunting cases, it’s interesting to note that this is a similar penalty to what James and Jeanne Redd got in their earlier run-in with the law in 1996.  That case ended up with charges against James Redd being dropped, Jeanne Redd pleading no contest to reduced charges, and the Redds paying the state of Utah $10,000 in 2003.  With Jeanne Redd pleading guilty to the recent charges after her husband’s suicide, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the cases turn out.  So far the Blanding cases have involved much greater effort than usual by authorities to nab as many suspects as possible through an elaborate sting operation, and it stands to reason that the prosecution effort will be more committed than usual as well.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Clock on Street Corner in Blanding, Utah

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