Woman Fined $15K for Defacing Ancient Rock Art

A Utah woman has been ordered to pay close to $15,000 in fines and restitution and serve a year of probation for vandalizing ancient Native American petroglyphs in southern Utah. Daniela Ganassim Ericksen, 47, was caught in the act last November by bystanders, who photographed her carving into the centuries-old rock art near the Buckskin Gulch and Wire Pass trails, on property managed by the Bureau of Land Management, per Outside. The photos quickly circulated online, prompting public outrage and leading to Ericksen's arrest a week later in St. George.

The petroglyphs, believed to be at least 800 years old and attributed to ancestral Puebloan people, will cost nearly $12,000 to repair. In addition to covering those repair costs, Ericksen was fined $3,000, for a total bill of $14,853, per a release. She must also write a letter of apology to the tribes in the area and is barred from all BLM land during her probation period.

BLM officials credited the public's quick response for helping to track down Ericksen, noting that such cases often go unreported and unpunished, per Outside. KJZZ last year noted that a second suspect had been spotted defacing the petroglyphs alongside Ericksen. No information is publicly available on that individual, though authorities confirm that contact was made with them. Archaeologists, meanwhile, are applauding the repercussions for Ericksen.