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When he was first assigned archaeological resource cases, prosecutor Wayne Dance barely knew the difference between archaeology and architecture.
That quickly changed.
In the ensuing years, the assistant U.S. attorney would become the national leader in fighting the looters and vandals who damage the nation's cultural heritage.
Dance has racked up convictions for 41 defendants in archaeological cases, as well as obtaining the longest prison sentence - 63 months - and handling the case with the largest number of offenses - 10 defendants convicted of 18 counts. And he has helped return human remains to tribes for reburial.
The prosecutions were brought under the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
"We've made it a higher priority," Dance said of Utah's fight against grave robbers, pothunters and vandals. "I know how much it means to the scientific community and the public to have the past with us."
On Jan. 31, after more than three decades as a prosecutor, Dance retired. In that last day on the job, he obtained an indictment accusing a Vernal man of looting prehistoric Indian sites.
His work will continue. Dance is joining Archaeological Resource Investigations, a Montana-based firm that offers consultations and training to government agencies and private businesses that do work on public lands.
Martin McAllister, the company's managing partner, pointed out that Dance was the driving force in developing the federal sentencing guideline increasing the recommended punishment for archaeological crimes.
"Wayne's contribution to protecting the archaeological heritage of the United States is unmatched and is a legacy for future generations," McAllister said.
Forrest Cuch, executive director of the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, called Dance a champion for his aggressive prosecutions. "He will be sorely missed," Cuch said.
Dance has spent his legal career as a prosecutor, beginning with an 11-year stint as a deputy district attorney in Ventura County, Calif.
He came to Utah in 1983 to handle major drug-trafficking cases at the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He also prosecuted bank robberies and was chief of the appellate section of the office.
In 1992, Dance was assigned archaeological resources cases. The defendants have included:
* Notorious pothunter Earl K. Shumway, who was sentenced to 63 months.
Shumway, who had previous convictions, was found guilty in 1995 of stealing sandals, a sleeping mat and an infant's burial blanket from sites in Canyonlands National Park and the Manti-LaSal National Forest. He was accused of scattering the child's tiny bones while removing the blanket.
* Michael Fatali, a Springdale photographer who permanently scarred sandstone beneath the Delicate Arch when he started fires in 2000 to achieve dramatic lighting effects. Fatali was placed on two years of probation, during which he was banned from Arches and Canyonlands national parks.
* Ten looters who ransacked the Polar Mesa Cave in the Manti-LaSal National Forest, digging out the equivalent of 20 truckloads of dirt from 1989 to 1991 and unearthing hundreds of artifacts.
In addition, Dance has prosecuted horse killers, including the man who shot a one-eared gray stallion in Millard County in 1999. The stallion had become a rangeland celebrity after surviving a round of mustanging, an illegal sport in which a wild horse is captured and maimed.
Kevin M. Binks of Spanish Fork was convicted of causing the animal's death and sentenced to 63 months.
Dance also got a felony conviction and five-month prison sentences against two Iron County ranch workers who killed nine wild horses in 2002. Animal lovers sent more than 14,000 letters to U.S. District Judge David Winder asking for prison time.
Jill Starr of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue, the California group behind the letter-writing campaign, said she was pleased with Dance's push to incarcerate the offenders. "I wish there were more U.S. attorneys like him," she said.
Dance said most looted artifacts are not recovered. Even worse is the missed opportunity for a scientific excavation that would yield a tremendous amount of information, he said.
"The irretrievable loss that comes from an excavation case is the loss of knowledge," he said. "Most things can be replaced. Archaeological context can never be replaced once it's damaged."
Dance at a glance
Wayne Dance, 66, who made Utah a leader in prosecuting those who damage or loot prehistoric Indian sites, has retired after 35 years as a prosecutor. After serving seven years in the U.S. Navy, Dance attended Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, then worked as a prosecutor in California for 11 years. He joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah in 1983. Dance will now work for Archaeological Resource Investigations, which trains officials on how to protect cultural heritage sites.