Mississippi man pleads guilty to taking artifacts from protected national forest site

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man has admitted to using a tractor to unearth artifacts at protected sites in and around Wayne County.

Amos Justin Burnham, 42, of Richton, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of unlawful excavation of an archeological site before U.S. District Senior Judge Keith Starrett, U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Forest Supervisor Shannon Kelardy with the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release.

“When archeological sites are destroyed by unlawful excavations and artifacts are stolen, we lose important clues about the past, forever,” LaMarca said.

Burnham was indicted on eight charges — four each of unauthorized excavation of archaeological resources and injury or depredation to U. S. government property, The Hattiesburg American reported.

Burnham admitted to using a tractor to illegally excavate a protected archeological site within the De Soto National Forest, which contains material remains of past human activities that are of archeological interest.

Burnham faces up to two years in prison, a $20,000 fine and the cost of repair and restoration to the site. His sentencing is set for Oct. 4.

The government also is seeking the return of the artifacts Burnham removed as well as the forfeiture of a Massey Ferguson tractor with a rear box scraper.