50 years of stolen artifacts collected

It took an amateur archeologist 50 years to plunder it, but now dozens of ancient artifacts are in the government’s hands, with plans to put them back where they belong. Pots, ladles, arrowheads and shells were just some of the collection James Hamm had built up. Hamm was caught in the Gila in 2008, where he didn't belong, digging on ancient Indian land. Hamm was even brazen enough to steal the signs warning the lands were sacred. Detectives said he kept maps and notes of his digs, which spread across Arizona and New Mexico, including places like Tularosa, Flagstaff and Cibola Forrest. Detectives said Hamm's notes claimed some of the pieces came from gravesites. The total value of the loot adds up to more than 37 thousand dollars. While officials said they couldn't prove Hamm sold artifacts, Phillips said there is an enormous black market for these types of artifacts...more