Group Charged with Tagging an Archeological Site in Tucson

Two years after a U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger noticed graffiti on one of Tucson's oldest archeological sites, five people have been ordered by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann DeMarais to pay more than $43,240 in damages. Johnathan Lopez, 23, Andrew Magallanes, 21, Robert Norton, 23 Cynthia Norton, 20 and...

By Claire Lawton

October 6, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Two years after a U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger noticed graffiti on one of Tucson's oldest archeological sites, five people have been ordered by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann DeMarais to pay more than $43,240 in damages.

Johnathan Lopez, 23, Andrew Magallanes, 21, Robert Norton, 23 Cynthia Norton, 20 and Vilma Curiel, 22, all plead guilty to defacing an area known as Indian Kitchen, first used by the prehistoric Hohokam Indians as a large food processing area.

They were each sentenced to five years supervised probation and $7,848 in damage fines.

Cleanup efforts were unsuccessful in removing the spray paint on the site, which contains 33 mortars ground into the bedrock by the ancient tribe community.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, damage is estimated at more than $40,000.

Follow Jackalope Ranch on Facebook and Twitter.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.