A man who was found digging in Fort Yellowstone Cemetery inside Yellowstone National Park has been indicted on charges of excavating archeological resources and depredation of U.S. property.
Rodrick Dow Craythorn, who claimed he was searching for the Forrest Fenn treasure, was indicted Sept. 20, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release issued Thursday.
The indictment alleges that Craythorn, 52, knowingly excavated portions of the cemetery, removed artifacts, and damaged, altered, or defaced archeological resources.
A second count alleges that Craythorn willfully damaged U.S. property.
FORREST FENN TREASURE HUNTER INDICTED FOR DAMAGE TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK https://t.co/pljcr5pZNJ pic.twitter.com/TFVVPLjXeY
— US Attorney-Wyoming (@usaowy) October 22, 2020
Forrest Fenn, an art dealer and author from Santa Fe, N.M., hid a cache of gold, jewelry, and rare coins in the Rocky Mountains in 2010.
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In a self-published book, “The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir,” he described the contents of the treasure and provided hints of its whereabouts “in the mountains somewhere north of Santa Fe.”
The Fenn Treasure was discovered in Wyoming this past June. Fenn, who was battling cancer, passed away on Sept. 7 at the age of 90.
Fort Yellowstone, in the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District, is park headquarters and still contains 35 structures from the 1890s and early 1900s, when the park was administrated by the U.S. Army.
The Fort Yellowstone Cemetery was the site of dozens of burials beginning as early as 1888.
Claythorn, who is from Syracuse, Utah, appeared in Federal Court Thursday, where he entered not-guilty pleas to both counts. He’s scheduled to face trial Dec. 14 in U.S. District Court in Casper, Wyoming.
–Top image showing Fort Yellowstone Cemetery is courtesy of the National Park Service
