Ancient Rock Toppled: Three Face Felony Charges After Destroying Natural Formation in Utah State Park (Video)
ByUtah authorities are considering whether to press charges against a group of Boy Scouts leaders who destroyed a rock formation in a Utah state park.
The trio of men was adventuring in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park when they decided to film themselves knocking over one of the ancient rock formations, known as "goblins," the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
In the video, Glenn Taylor of Highland, Utah, can be seen wedging himself between one formation and a boulder and pushing a formation over while his son Dylan looks on. His fellow Boy Scout Leader Dave Hall was the one recording.
According to Hall and Taylor who were leading a group of 14-to-16-year-old Boy Scouts on a trip, the mushroom-shaped rock - one of thousands in the state park that have formed over millions of years - was loose.
Taylor told Salt Lake City news organizations that he knocked over the large boulder on top of the structure because he thought it would fall and injure someone.
"I put my hand on a rock and it moved," he told the Salt Lake Tribune. "While we were sitting right there we thought, 'Man if this rock falls it'll kill [the boy scouts].' I didn't have to push hard."
Hall added the whole park was created by erosion and said the formation they knocked over had "eroded to the point where it would fall very soon."
Hall uploaded the video on Facebook and deleted it shortly after, but it was too late. The video had already gone viral and copies of it were posted on YouTube, where it has gained more than a million views.
After toppling the rock, Taylor can be seen cheering, high-fiving and dancing with his two companions.
Utah State Park officials were not amused Eugene Swalberg, Park manager for Utah State parks said a criminal investigation is underway by State Park authorities.
"It is not only wrong, but there will be consequences," he told the Tribune. "This is highly, highly inappropriate ...This is not what you do at state parks."
Utah's Director of state parks Fred Hayes told he was appalled by the video and that his agency had launched a criminal investigation. Swalberg said it's rare for tourists to destroy natural formations.
: