By George Warren
ABC News Sacramento affiliate
3/9/2007
Don Parker said he carefully avoids public land when searching for Indian artifacts
A father and son in Folsom are suspected of possessing Indian artifacts plundered from public land in California and Nevada.
A law enforcement team led by a National Park Service ranger served a federal search warrant at the home of Don Parker and his son Steve last weekend.
According to court records, authorities seized scores of items, including jewelry and arrowheads believed to have been taken from federal land in Northern California and Nevada.
The search also turned up mortars and grinding stones known as metate believed to have been taken from the American River Parkway.
"I was surprised at the volume of things there," said Sacramento County Park Ranger Steve Flannery, who took part in the search.
Contacted at his home, Don Parker told News10 he doesn't believe he did anything wrong. Parker, 68, is a retired PG&E engineer.
"I have maps," Parker said. "And I tried to stay on private property to collect these things."
Investigators were led to the Folsom home by a tip from Steve Parker's ex-girlfriend.
In seeking the search warrant, National Park Service Ranger Todd Swain said there's probable cause to believe Don and Steve Parker are guilty of the unlawful tranportation of archaeological resources and theft of government property.
Neither man has been charged with a crime. The U.S. Attorney's office told News10 the investigation is continuing.
Don Parker said if he made any mistakes, they were honest mistakes and he hoped the government will ultimately return the artifacts.
"There are some things if they decide it's theirs, then that's the way it is," Parker said.
"And if they decide it's mine, I'd really like to get it back."