Woman is charged with digging at Indian site
SPICEWOOD — A suspected relic hunter ran afoul of the state’s antiquities code after rangers say they found her digging at a protected Native American site on Lake Travis.
Low lake levels during periods such as the current drought often reveal or provide easier access to archaeological sites, making them targets for “treasure hunters,” said officials with the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Deirdre Ann Harper, 44, was booked into the Burnet County Jail on a Class B misdemeanor antiquities code violation, as well as failure to identify-fugitive and for three driving violations out of Lakeway, officials said.
She was released Dec. 16 after posting bonds totaling $4,000.
An LCRA ranger patrolling the northwest portion of Lake Travis in Burnet County Dec. 15 spotted a woman digging at a Native American campsite, LCRA spokeswoman Clara Tuma said.
The protected site is LCRA property.
“She is accused of digging for archaeological artifacts from that site,” Tuma said. “That particular site is formally designated as a Texas Historical Commission State Archaeological Landmark.”
Removing, damaging or destroying items in those locations is a violation of the Texas Antiquities Code, officials said.
Tuma said LCRA regulations also forbid the removal of items or disturbing archaeological sites on the river authority’s property without permission from both the LCRA and the Texas Historical Commission.
For more information on archaeological sites and rules, visit the historical commission’s website at www.thc. state.tx.us.
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