By Tim Binnall
A suspected treasure hunter is in serious trouble with the law after he dug a massive trench in the protected land of a Utah archaeological site. According to a local media report, the unfortunate case began back in November when authorities received word of a man conducting a suspicious excavation at a location known as Fort Pearce. Upon arriving to investigate the call, officers were astounded to discover that Eduardo Humberto Seoane had carved a trench measuring two feet wide and a jaw-dropping 15 feet deep. “We couldn't believe what we were seeing,” Sgt. Darrell Cashin recalled, "the destruction was nothing like we'd ever seen before. The suspect had power and hand tools out there and he'd obviously been excavating for quite some time.”
When authorities later questioned Seoane about the giant trench, he claimed to have been prospecting for silver and other precious metals. However, an investigation by the Utah Trust Lands Administration, which oversees the site, determined that his story was rather dubious. TLA official Brent Kaszca, who was tasked with looking into the case, indicated that he "found nothing" that could confirm Seoane's claim, such as permits that would have allowed him to conduct a prospecting dig. On the contrary, he noted, that "I was able to uncover that the suspect belongs to several treasure-hunting groups." Speaking to the impact of the unauthorized excavation, archaeologist Joel Boomgarden mused that "it's almost impossible to calculate the damage caused by this guy."
To that end, he explained that Seoane specifically dug in an area that served as a proverbial "trash dump" for ancient people and, as such, held critical clues as to their way of life. By digging such a deep hole at the location, the suspected treasure hunter disturbed the striation which allows for experts to date unearthed artifacts. "All the information is sort of out of context now," Boomgarden said, "it's almost impossible to piece it back together." Beyond the scientific destruction brought about by the dig, authorities say that it will cost an estimated $19,000 to fill in the trench created by Seoane, who now faces a felony charge for the misguided excavation.