A California man who vindictively vandalized prehistoric carvings in the Sequoia National Forest with obscenities has been arrested.
U.S. Forest Service rangers discovered the vulgar graffiti this month on famed Rabbit Island, which is an ancestral homeland of the Tubatulabal people.
Federal authorities have charged 58-year-old Christopher Harp for his deliberate and extensive destruction of the first nation’s ancient stone murals and petroglyphs.
Harp said he was “angry” with his boss and “drunk” when he defaced about 100 yards of the prehistoric artwork with black asphalt sealant.
He also stupidly included a phone number, enabling investigators to track him down and press charges.
The artless philistine faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his crime, to which he’s pled not guilty.
It isn’t clear yet whether the heavy-duty substance he marred the tribal artifacts with can be removed now without causing additional damage.
