Tourists 'jumped fence and stole historic artifacts' at famous Utah park

Two Colorado residents were criminally charged after they allegedly trespassed into a cowboy camp in a Utah national park and stole artifacts.

Utah federal prosecutors said Roxanne McKnight, 39, and Dusty Spencer, 43, were captured on a trail camera goofing off inside a fenced-off area of Canyonlands National Park, known for its spectacular desert landscapes.

The pair then 'handled and stole numerous historic artifacts preserved in the Cave Springs Cowboy Camp,' United States Attorneys said in a statement regarding the March 23 incident.

'This historic camp was protected by fencing and clear warnings prohibiting visitors from entering the area, which McKnight and Spencer disregarded,' they added.

The trail camera appeared to show Spencer holding a beer and McKnight sitting in a wooden chair.

The government-owned artifacts they're accused of stealing are 'antique nails' on display at the camp, according to court documents.

The artifacts inside the camp were from pioneering cattle ranchers between the late 1800s and 1975, Fox News reported.

The camp also has ancient rock carvings on display that were etched by indigenous tribes about 6,000 years ago, according to the park's website.

Canyonlands National Park circulated the trail photos of the man and woman in May hoping to identify them.

'Law enforcement park rangers at Canyonlands National Park are seeking information from the public to help identify suspects involved in an archeological theft incident at Cave Spring Cowboy Camp in the Needles district of the park,' rangers wrote at the time.

'In a video recorded at the archaeological site, the individuals entered a signed-as-closed area, removed artifacts from a cabinet, and handled historic harnesses in a manner that had potential to damage them,' they added.

Prosecutors didn't reveal how McKnight and Spencer were identified.

They were charged with theft of government property worth $1,000 or less, disturbing cultural or archaeological resources, and walking on cultural or archaeological resources.

They are set to appear in front of Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin B. Pead at the US District Court in Moab on November 8.