3 men suspected of stealing Indian artifacts

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) – Three men have been arrested on suspicion of stealing artifacts from a Native American burial site in the Santa Monica Mountains in Ventura County.

Sheriff’s spokesman Ross Bonfiglio said Thursday that 22-year-old Noah Erickson, 37-year-old John Watson and 40-year-old Frederick Villela were arrested March 1 and later released pending further investigation.

Bonfiglio says someone reported seeing flashlights near a site that a local anthropologist says is a Native American burial site.

Deputies found the three men and evidence they were illegally removing Indian artifacts. They later searched the suspects’ homes and found several more artifacts.

Bonfiglio says it’s illegal to remove items from a Native American historic site and a felony if it is a burial site.

The case will be presented to the district attorney’s office for review.