Couple arrested after stealing artifacts from Native American gravesite in Hays County
SAN MARCOS, Texas - A husband and wife were arrested by Texas Parks and Wildlife law enforcement after they were caught stealing from a Native American burial site in Hays County.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, a game warden received an image from a cellphone game camera showing a man and woman trespassing and digging an archeological Native American burial site. The warden found the couple in a large hole previously dug by trespassers.
Before the warden could say anything, the man stood up and told the warden he wasn’t digging for arrowheads and hates diggers. The warden also learned during their conversation that the couple was a husband and wife out on a date. They were both detained in handcuffs and separated at the front and back of the warden’s vehicle.
The man admitted that he had a glass pipe in his pocket that he uses to smoke CBD oils. After a quick examination, the Baby Yoda glass pipe revealed small, clear and white crystals that looked like crystal meth, according to the report from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
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The warden placed the pipe on the hood and went to the back of the vehicle to speak with the woman, who said she didn’t know the property was private. The warden then walked back to the front of the vehicle and noticed the pipe was no longer on the hood.
The warden questioned the man about the pipe and he said he didn’t know where the pipe went. Several feet in front of the vehicle, the pipe was found broken in half in the middle of a fresh footprint.
The woman’s purse contained several gray rubber gardening gloves, each containing four Native American artifacts. Upon further examination of the hole where the couple was found, the warden also found a small hand saw and freshly disturbed dirt.
The San Marcos Police Department took the couple to the Hays County Jail. While en route to jail, the man said he believed he had the coronavirus. He leaned forward against the partition and aggressively coughed toward the officers.
Both subjects were charged with criminal trespass and Antiquities Code violations. The husband was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, tampering with evidence and harassment of a public servant. These cases are pending.
