Authorities Looking for 2 Visitors Accused of Vandalizing Ancient Rock Formations at Lake Mead

The two individuals reportedly could face six months in jail and a $5,000 fine for the offense, and could even be charged with felonies

<p>Getty</p> Redstone Dune Trail at Lake Mead in Nevada

Getty

Redstone Dune Trail at Lake Mead in Nevada
  • Two men are wanted after a video showed them destroying ancient rock formations are Lake Mead

  • Authorities reportedly said the damage caused by the vandals cannot be repaired

  • Defacing certain parts of a national park or other public land is both illegal and considered “an act of cultural violence,” according to the National Park Service

Authorities are looking for two men who were seen destroying ancient rock formations at Lake Mead in footage that has gone viral on social media.

The National Park Service said in a statement that park rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area are looking to identify the two adult male vandalism suspects who were “seen toppling natural rock formations at the Redstone Dunes Trail” on Sunday, April 7.

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Authorities said the damage done cannot be fixed, according to CNN and FOX affiliate KVVU-TV.

John Haynes, Public Information Officer for Lake Mead National Recreation, said the two men could face “six months in jail and a $5,000 fine” for the offense, and could even be charged with felonies, per KVVU-TV.

Haynes told the station he could not wrap his mind around why the vandals would commit such an act.

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“It’s one of my favorite places in the park and they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that,” the public information officer added.

The federally-protected rock formations on the Redstone Trail were created by dunes that existed 140 million years ago, which eventually formed into hard sandstone, according to the NPS’ website.

Defacing certain parts of a national park or other public land is considered “an act of cultural violence,” and is also illegal, the park service’s site says.

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This act is considered especially egregious when done at sites such as “pictograph panels, historic structures, and other places that existed before their designation as park sites.”

Anyone with information about the incident at Lake Mead is asked to contact the NPS though its tipline at 888-653-0009, online at go.nps.gov/SubmitATip or via email at nps_isb@nps.gov.

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