LOCAL NEWS
Man Sentenced For Treasure Cemetery Dig In Yellowstone
Mar 31, 2021, 3:19 PM
(NPS Investigative Services Branch)
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge in Wyoming has sentenced a man to six months in prison for digging in a Yellowstone National Park cemetery in pursuit of hidden treasure.
U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl also ordered 52-year-old Rodrick Dow Craythorn, of Syracuse, Utah, on Wednesday to serve six months of home detention and two years of probation, and to pay $31,566 in restitution.
“The hunt for the Forrest Fenn treasure was often viewed as a harmless diversion, but in this case, it led to substantial damage to important public resources,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Klaassen. “The defendant let his quest for discovery override respect for the law.”
Craythorn dug in the Fort Yellowstone cemetery in late 2019 and early 2020.
Craythorn was seeking a treasure chest containing coins, gold and other valuables that Santa Fe, New Mexico, antiquities dealer Forrest Fenn stashed in the Rocky Mountains over a decade ago.
Rangers and special agents of the National Park Service discovered 17 sites of illegal excavation, including damage to a historic grave.
KSL-TV contributed to this report.