Man fined for taking artifacts
An Imperial County man who admitted taking Indian artifacts from public lands has been fined $500 and placed on probation.
William Stout, 63, of Winterhaven pleaded guilty to stealing pottery shards from an archeological site the federal Bureau of Land Management oversees. About 10,000 sites exist between San Diego and the Colorado River, but the exact location was not disclosed. He entered the plea in a U.S. Magistrates Court in San Diego on June 10.
Stephen Razo, spokesman for the BLM, says Stout violated the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, which protects historically significant mines, ranches, military forts, farms and petroglyph sites.
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