A Boy Scouts leader who intentionally knocked over an ancient Utah desert rock formation and posted a video of the incident online could face criminal charges along with the two men who cheered him on, the Associated Press reported.
Glenn Taylor of Highland, Utah, was helping to lead a group of 14 to 16-year-old Boy Scouts on a trip through a Utah park last week. He and another man said they saw that the top of the rock formation was loose and feared it was dangerous.
"This is about saving lives," Dave Hall, who shot the video and is also a scoutmaster, told the AP on Friday. "One rock at a time."
Goblin Valley State Park in central Utah is dotted with thousands of the mushroom-shaped sandstone formations. Taylor can be seen in the video wedging himself between one formation and a boulder to knock a large rock off the formation's top. He and his two companions then cheer, high-five and dance to celebrate the change in the park's landscape.
"This is highly, highly inappropriate," Utah State Parks spokesman Eugene Swalberg told the Salt Lake Tribune. "This is not what you do at state parks. It's disturbing and upsetting."
Hall said some of their Scouts were jumping on the structures and they noticed a large boulder on top of one structure was loose.
"My conscience won't let me walk away knowing that kids could die," Hall said.
Taylor told Salt Lake City news organizations on Thursday that he felt the rock move when he put his hand on it. He said after he knocked over the formation, which scientists say is millions of years old, he wished he hadn't and realized he should have contacted a park ranger.
"As it is, I feel guilty because I have a conscience," he told the Deseret News. "But my conscience also says I did the right thing."
Boy Scouts of America spokesman Deron Smith confirmed the men are members of the organization, saying in a statement that the organization is "shocked and disappointed by this reprehensible behavior.
"The isolated actions of these individuals are absolutely counter to our beliefs and what we teach. We are reviewing this matter and will take appropriate action."
Brent Langston with the Emery County Attorney's Office said his agency is aware of the incident but has not yet started evaluating whether they'll file charges.
State Parks authorities are conducting a criminal investigation.The men involved could face a misdemeanor or a felony depending on how much officials determine the formation was worth, Langston told the Tribune.
Hall said he and Taylor were both "immensely sorry for any damage that we may have caused," or any embarrassment they brought to the Boy Scouts or anyone else.
But he went on to say, "One more rock falling to the ground is not going to destroy the beauty of the park. Eventually, the erosion brings all of them down."
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