NEWS: Treasure Hunter Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Desecrating Yellowstone Graveyard

Roderick Dow Craythorn, a Utah man, was indicted by a federal grand jury for disturbing a Yellowstone National Park graveyard.  The announcement came from the U.S. Attorney for Wyoming.  

Craythorn was a treasure hunter looking for Forrest Fenn treasure.  Craythorn evidently thought that cryptic evidence in Fenn's writing indicated the site of the treasure would be in Yellowstone. 

The 52-year-old Craythorn was caught trying to excavate the historic Fort  Yellowstone cemetery.  Experts estimate that Craythorn managed to do more than $1000 in damages to the site.  If convicted, Craythorn could face as many as 12 years in prison. 

Craythorn isn't the first person to get in trouble chasing New Mexico art dealer Forest Fenn's treasure. Fenn claimed to have buried a treasure somewhere in the Mountain West, publishing a set of clues to find it.  Several people have died in wilderness accidents while chasing the "treasure."  In June of this year, Fenn reported the treasure had been found.  Fenn died several months later.  

But there are those who feel that Fenn was lying about the treasure and that he was only claiming it was found so that people would stop searching for it at the risk of their lives.  Others feel there never was a treasure, a stance lent creedence because no one has ever come forward as the person who found the treasure. 

At any rate, nothing, not even treasure, makes desecrating a historic graveyard right.  The opinion of this publication is that if Mr. Craythorn was prepared to commit the crime, he ought to be prepared to do time.