moundville 100406
The Jones Archaeological Museum at the Moundville Archaeological Park.(Michelle Williams)
(Michelle Williams)
A man who reportedly identified himself as a member of a sovereign citizens group is charged with damaging a historic American Indian site near Tuscaloosa.
Carlos Kendrick Fountain, 19, is charged with desecration following his arrest at Moundville Archaeological Park earlier this month, The Tuscaloosa News reported Friday.
Court records show the park manager called police after finding Fountain and a woman digging a hole at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 1. The newspaper reported the two were wearing turbans, told officers they were Moorish sovereign citizens, and said they wanted to put their feet into the Earth.
The hole was about 2 1/2 feet deep and more than 1 foot deep. Damage was estimated at $1,839.
The University of Alabama's Office of Archaeological research, which manages the site, agreed to press charges, leading to Fountain's arrest on the misdemeanor charge the next week. He was released from the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $1,500 bond.
Court records do not include the name of an attorney for Fountain, and the man did not return a phone message seeking comment.
The Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitor extremism, say Moorish sovereign citizens typically reject government authority. The movement dates back to the early 1900s, and some members claim to be descendants from the ancient mound builders of the Mississippi-Missouri Valley.
The Moundville site was occupied by Native Americans from around 1000 to 1450 A.D.