elmoleaf
Well-Known Member
For me, the issue is not whether the items were of historical value. It's that he apparently asked permission, was told no, and dug anyway.
This type of story gets repeated on here too often, with rationalizations why it's ok: "oh, it's just some empty lot, nobody will care" "the stuff is gonna rot/get lost anyway" "the owners don't even know it's there anyway".
"Some guy called me two weeks ago and told me he collected old bottles and wanted to dig in there, but I told him no," said Daniel Cossette. "I told him if he fell and hurt himself I'd have to pay."
The digger could've offered to sign a liability waiver. He could've offered to split finds with the owner to entice the owner to grant permission. Instead he decided digging up someone else's property and stealing would be the next logical step.This type of story gets repeated on here too often, with rationalizations why it's ok: "oh, it's just some empty lot, nobody will care" "the stuff is gonna rot/get lost anyway" "the owners don't even know it's there anyway".