Colorado Residents Accused of Destroying Historical Site at National Park Face Federal Charges

MOAB, Utah - Two Colorado residents were charged by misdemeanor information today, alleging they trespassed, disrupted, and stole from the historic Cave Springs Cowboy Camp in Canyonlands National Park, located in the District of Utah.

According to court documents, on March 23, 2024, Roxanne McKnight, 39, and Dusty Spencer, 43, of Durango, Colorado, entered a fenced-off area of Canyonlands National Park where they then handled and stole numerous historic artifacts preserved in the Cave Springs Cowboy Camp. This historic camp was protected by fencing and clear warnings prohibiting visitors from entering the area, which McKnight and Spencer disregarded.

McKnight and Spencer are charged with theft of government property, less than one thousand dollars; possessing or distributing cultural or archaeological resources; and walking on or entering archaeological or cultural resource. McKnight and Spencer are scheduled for their initial appearance for the misdemeanor information on November 8, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin B. Pead at the United States District Court in Moab.

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the National Park Service (NPS).

Assistant United States Attorneys Luisa Gough and Tanner Zumwalt of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.

An information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.