Woman Fined $15K for Defacing Ancient Rock Art
One of the incriminating images. (Kane County Sheriff's Office, via KJZZ)
A Utah woman has been ordered to pay nearly $15,000 in fines and restitution and will serve a year of probation after she was found guilty of vandalizing ancient Native American petroglyphs in southern Utah.
Daniela Ganassim Ericksen, 47, was confronted last November when bystanders spotted her carving into centuries-old rock art near the Buckskin Gulch and Wire Pass trails—land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. Witnesses photographed the damage as it happened, and the images spread quickly online, sparking widespread outrage. Ericksen was arrested a week later in St. George.
The petroglyphs, believed to be around 800 years old and created by ancestral Puebloan people, will require close to $12,000 in repairs. Along with covering those restoration costs, Ericksen was fined an additional $3,000, bringing the total amount owed to $14,853. She is also required to write a formal apology to local tribes and is banned from entering any BLM-managed lands during her probation.
BLM officials credited the swift action of the public for helping identify Ericksen, noting that many vandalism cases like this often go unreported. KJZZ previously reported that another individual was also seen damaging the petroglyphs at the time. Authorities say they have made contact with that person, though no further information has been released. Archaeologists say the outcome of Ericksen’s case sends an important message about protecting sacred and historic sites.
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