Pair charged in destruction of Utah rock formation

It took 20 million years of wind and water erosion to form an eye-catching, mushroom-shaped boulder in a Utah state park. Heaving the stone off its perch took a man just 10 seconds, and the action sparked international disgust.

A pair of former Boy Scout leaders who said they destroyed the rock formation to protect people from being crushed by it were charged with felony mischief last week, Utah state parks officials announced.

In October, David Benjamin Hall, 42, recorded Glenn Tuck Taylor, 45, pushing the stone to the ground. They posted the video on Facebook and quickly drew outrage and even death threats.

“We have now modified Goblin Valley,” Hall says in the video, referring to the name of the park, after Taylor heaves the large sand- stone off its stem. “A new Goblin Valley exists with this boulder down here.”

The Boy Scouts of America’s Utah National Parks Council expelled both men from Scouting, citing violation of the organization’s “leave no trace” principle.

Hall was charged with one count of felony aiding and assisting in criminal mischief and Taylor with one count of felony criminal mischief. They each could face up to five years in prison, though the Emery County district attorney told reporters he would seek a plea deal.

In the video, Taylor flexes and grunts as Hall appears to explain their rationale. “Some little kid was about ready to walk down here and die, and Glenn saved his life by getting the boulder out of the way,” Hall says.

No child is seen in the video, but the men told the media that a family had walked by minutes before. Hall told the Salt Lake Tribune that when he was 10, his uncle was killed by a falling boulder.

The charges filed are the lowest of three degrees of felonies in Utah, meaning the rock formation was valued at $1,500 to $5,000.

The valuation seemed low to Marjorie Chan, a geology and geophysics professor at the University of Utah. She said Saturday that state parks officials consulted with geological engineers to determine the value.

Chan has previously sug- gested that the Goblin Valley State Park formations be cataloged to see how they change over time and at what rate they might become less stable. “Satellite imagery could provide some baseline,” she said by email.

Taylor’s attorney, Scott P. Card, did not respond to a request for comment. Hall could not be reached. The two men are due in a Utah state court March 18.