Arrowhead hunters face felony charges

Florida Wildlife officers arrested two artifact hunters they say were mining Taylor County creeks and river channels for ancient arrow and spear points.  Deanna Danielle Ray and James Garrett Taylor faced 3rd-degree felony charges for the unlawful removal of archeological specimens located on public lands.

A Florida Wildlife Commission spokesman said officers were alerted to a suspicious vehicle in the Econfina Wildlife Management Area during the last week of May. Ray and Taylor, according to an FWC report, fled when a trio of officers approached them in a wooded area.

Officer Bryan Anderson released his canine partner who tracked Taylor. Anderson came upon the man at a truck along a creek. He said Taylor was out of breath and trying to clean sand from his arms.  

The woman meanwhile was apprehended swimming down the river, shoeless.  Further investigation found artifact digging tools, a dig site and female shoes.

Florida forbids artifacts from being removed or disturbed when found on public lands. The prohibition is to protect “our only window into the time before written history,” according to professional archaeologists.

Archaeologists say North Florida rivers and creek beds are rich with stone tools made by the first Floridians – some 7,000 years old. Fire-burnished chert spear points and blades can fetch tens of thousands of dollars among collectors.

“The artifacts on public lands and the history they represent belong to everyone and not the few who want to auction our heritage on eBay,” said Lonnie Mann, of the Panhandle Archaeological Society.

Mann applauded the FWC’s diligence in nabbing artifact looters.

The FWC cited an ongoing investigation in the Ray-Taylor case for not releasing more information about the suspects and the artifacts uncovered.

The two face a 3rd-degree felony for the unauthorized dig and two misdemeanors for violating WMA rules.

Reporter James Call can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com.