SALT LAKE CITY — An Idaho man said he accepts full responsibility for vandalizing southern Utah’s Corona Arch, and he has accepted a plea deal in the case.
Ryan Bird Andersen, 45, of Idaho Falls, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor count of defacing a natural feature.
“Although I have resolved my case with the government, I will remain committed to helping ensure that our public lands remain pristine. In the future, I hope that others can learn from my mistakes and always act responsibly with our natural treasures,” Andersen wrote in a statement released Friday. (Scroll down to read the full statement.)
File Photo: Corona Arch is about 2.5 miles west of Moab, UT
Andersen reached a plea agreement to settle the case, and he’ll have to pay the maximum fine of $1,000, $858.32 in restitution to the Bureau of Land Management and a $30 processing fee.
“Mr. Andersen’s conduct was troubling to us and anyone who values Utah’s beautiful public lands. People travel from around the world to visit these spectacular resources. Mr. Andersen learned a valuable lesson from this prosecution. As he writes in his statement, we hope others can learn from his mistakes and always act responsibly with our natural treasures,” U.S Attorney John W. Huber said in a news release issued Friday.
Andersen will have his guilty plea held in abeyance for 18 months, during which he is barred from entering or using land administered by the BLM, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers – except as necessary for the use of public roads on public lands.
Read Andersen’s full statement:
Dear Friends and Concerned Citizens,
I want you all to know that I have reached an agreement with the government to account for my actions last spring at the Corona Arch in southern Utah. With that agreement I have accepted responsibility for my conduct and have agreed to pay a fine and full restitution to address the damage caused to the arch.
Although I have resolved my case with the government, I will remain committed to helping ensure that our public lands remain pristine. In the future, I hope that others can learn from my mistakes and always act responsibly with our natural treasures.
Sincerely,
Ryan Andersen
