[h=1]Three Tennessee Men Indicted for Taking Civil War Artifacts from Tennessee River on TVA Land in Alabama[/h]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Augus 27 , 2014
BIRMINGHAM -- A federal grand jury today indicted three Tennessee men on charges connected to the removal of Civil War-era archaeological artifacts from the Tennessee River at Bridgeport in Jackson County, Ala., announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and Tennessee Valley Authority Police Director David Jolley.
An indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges
KENNETH STEPHEN FAGIN JR., 38, of South Pittsburg, Tenn.,
TERRY BRUCE TATE, 60, of Jasper, Tenn., and
ANGELO DOMINIC PERUIT, 46, of Knoxville, Tenn., under the Archeological Resources Protection Act.
The indictment charges Fagin, former owner of Historical Resurrections in Jasper, Tenn., with one count of excavating and removing archeological resources from public lands, the Tennessee River at Bridgeport, in April 2010. It charges Fagin and Tate with one count of exchanging and transporting archeological resources taken from the river in March 2010. The indictment also charges Fagin and Peruit, owner of The Army of Tennessee Civil War Relics in Knoxville, with one count of offering to sell and exchange archeological resources removed from the river between April 1, 2010, and Aug. 31, 2011. The resources, in all counts, are said to have a commercial value and a cost of restoration and repair in excess of $500.
Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
TVA Police Investigations Unit investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney David H. Estes is prosecuting.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
In the southeast we have a federal govenment agency called The Tennessee Valley Authority. They control and own all navigable waterways. They own the land out so many feet. Not sure what their easement is. It is against the law to remove anything historic from federal lands. The TVA Police are the most abusive , lawless individuals I have ever heard of short of nazi or commie border guards. I once walked out a foot path that led to the top of one of the small TVA dams and walked out on top of the dam to over look the water . It was a beautiful scene until three white jeeps showed up at high speed nearly crashing and causing a cloud of dust . Next thing I know I had about 3 officers pointing machine guns at me. After that ....more sirens , more police cars. It was outrageous. They had about 3 times TVA Police than they really needed. Then they were defunded. thank god. It is rare to see a TVA Police these days. But this story is about hunting without permission or hunting on lands where it is against the law to metal detect. Don't do it. We all dread asking land owners but more times than not land owners around here are friendly. Build goodwill with landowners. Dont hunt their land and leave without sharing a bullet or two with them. Show them what you find. Buy a riker mount and put them them a little display together. After all its their land. Ive ranted enough.
Well it is like this. It is our land and waterway but we pay and fund the TVA to keep us out. They confiscated and paid penneys on the dollar for the land when they put us all under water. Whole towns and even cemeteries . Term navigable water way is what they use now. It is against the law to dive in the river and that is what these guys do. I ran into them on Battle Creek one day while fishing. They told me of a farm they had dug and did very well. The owner had called me raising cane because some one had pot holed his field at night. I actually leased the farm but had not been able to get permission to metal detect the old homesite. They did not have permission and just went. That is what they did for the glory of the finds. I also hunt the area they got caught in but I have permission on the land from the land owners. They are idiots and it makes things tough for everyone especially when you have people start putting value on the things we find.
