Oakhurst man sentenced for illegal excavation at archeological site

Cristina Lombardo
·1 min read

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A 35-year-old Oakhurst man pled guilty to two Archeological Resources Protection Act counts for an unauthorized dig and removing archeological resources from public lands.

The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says Vance Franklin Myers was sentenced to serve three years of probation, pay a fine of $10,000, and also perform 100 hours of community service. Myers also has to pay $10,028.48 in restitution.

Officials say that Myers’ illegal excavation occurred on lands administered by the Sierra National Forest near Bass Lake.

Myers violated the Archeological Resources Protection Act which governs the excavation of archaeological sites on Federal and Indian lands in the United States, and the removal and disposition of archaeological collections from those sites, according to the USDA.

Officials say the illegal excavation revealed human remains, disturbed intact archaeological deposits, and uncovered artifacts that were first discovered during the Willow Fire in July 2015.

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