Boy Scouts remove 2 men who toppled ancient rock


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Two Utah men already facing possible criminal charges for purposely toppling an ancient rock formation in a state park have now been removed from their posts as Boy Scout leaders.

A northern Utah Boy Scouts council announced Monday that Glenn Taylor and Dave Hall will no longer be allowed to lead scouting troops due to what happened Oct. 11 at Goblin Valley State Park, which they filmed and posted on Facebook.

The move comes on the heels of the national Boy Scouts of America condemning the men's actions last week and promising a review of the incident. The Boy Scouts' Utah National Parks Council posted a statement on its website saying the men's actions are not in line with the principles the organization teaches about preserving nature.

"We encourage all leaders and Scouts to review the 'Leave No Trace' principles, as we are all a part of maintaining the integrity, character and the natural beauty of the outdoors for all living things," the statement said.

The rock formation they toppled over is about 170 million years old, Utah State Parks spokesman Eugene Swalberg said. The central Utah park is dotted with thousands of the eerie, mushroom-shaped sandstone formations.

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Hall and Taylor came under fire last week after posting a video on Facebook where Taylor can be seen wedging himself between a formation and a boulder to knock a large rock off the formation's top. Taylor and his two companions can then be seen cheering, high-fiving and dancing.

They said the rock formation was loose and they feared it was dangerous. They were leading a group of teenage Boy Scouts on a trip when it happened. However, Swalberg said reports of dangerous rocks are very rare.

"I was the park manager at Green River and Goblin Valley State Park (for six years), so it encompassed Goblin Valley State Park," Swalberg said. "During my time as the manager of Goblin Valley State Park, I don't have any documented incident where someone came and said, 'There's a problem out in the valley of Goblins. There's an unsafe Hoodoo or one of the Goblins is a problem.' "

Hall said they found out about losing their Boy Scouts positions Monday morning. They had been troop leaders for a few years, Hall said, and hope to continue to be involved in organization in the future using what happened as a teaching point.


During my time as the manager of Goblin Valley State Park, I don't have any documented incident where someone came and said, 'There's a problem out in the valley of Goblins. There's an unsafe Hoodoo or one of the Goblins is a problem.'

–Eugene Swalberg, Utah State Parks spokesman


Both men are from Highland, Utah, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City.

"We've always supported the Boy Scouts and if that's what they feel is best, we support that decision," Hall said. "We're extremely sorry for our mistake. We look forward to doing everything we can to make it right and move on."

The viral video isn't the only time that Hall has been in the national spotlight. He was also involved in the Jodi Arias trial as a witness, according to HLN. Hall was a friend of Travis Alexander who was allegedly murdered by Jodi Arias, and he often spoke out about the brutal killing of his friend.

The Boy Scouts of America earlier condemned the action as disappointing and reprehensible.

Utah State Parks authorities are conducting a criminal investigation, and the Emery County Attorney's Office also is reviewing the incident to determine if charges should be filed.

Contributing: Faith Heaton Jolley and Andrew Wittenberg

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 10/21/2013 1:05:01 PM (GMT -6:00)

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