Senators seek investigation into San Juan arrests

Utah's top federal law enforcement official fired back at critics of last week's raid to break up a ring allegedly trafficking ancient American Indian artifacts, saying that agents followed rules and that local law enforcement was notified in advance. "This case involves significant collections of Indian artifacts taken from public and tribal lands by excavators, sellers, and collectors, including priceless artifacts sacred to Native Americans, not 'trash and trinkets' as some have suggested," U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman said in a statement late Tuesday. "None of the charges in the indictments is for mere possession of a protected artifact. The charges in the indictment are for trafficking in archaeological artifacts, which includes the sale, purchase or exchange of protected artifacts," Tolman said. Tolman's defense of the raid came in response to complaints from southern Utah residents and even Utah's senators who on Tuesday asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate whether excessive force had been brought to bear. "The perception in the community is that more han 100 federal agents armed with assault weapons jumped out of black Suburbans and manhandled the accused unnecessarily," Sen. Orrin Hatch said Tuesday. "If that is true, I question the appropriateness of such an extreme show of force, especially given the nonviolent nature of the offenses." Sen. Bob Bennett said he does not condone illegal activity, but questions "whether the level of response was appropriate given the charges." Tolman asserts the raid was handled professionally and by-the-book. He said about 150 federal law enforcement agents and employees participated in the arrests of 23 individuals. Decisions on whether the agents would be armed were made based on established procedures, the suspect's criminal history and whether the defendant was believed to possess firearms. Tolman said that six days prior to the raid, officials notified San Juan County Sheriff Mike Lacy. Local police departments were also warned in advance. San Juan County Commissioner Bruce Adams said that Sheriff Lacy is conducting an internal investigation into the arrests, interviewing each of the people arrested and asking them to describe what happened and whether they were abused...SaltLakeTribune