Police raid Collector's home

The seized artifacts

Drought in the Klamath Basin has exposed archeological sites normally concealed by water, so it is no wonder that collectors are taking an interest in the region, who could blame them for trying to rescue what they can find? Unfortunately, Oregon law forbids the removal of archaeological objects on public or private lands without a permit. This is the reason why detectives searched the home of a collector of Native American artifacts late last week, turning up many cultural relics from sites in Klamath County (Bryan Denson, 'Oregon State Police seize Native American artifacts and burial goods in Klamath Falls', The Oregonian February 23, 2015).

Detectives with the Fish and Wildlife Division, which handle natural resources cases, hauled off the antiquities items while serving a search warrant last Thursday at the Klamath Falls home of 46-year-old Douglas Cotallese. "Troopers also located methamphetamine, scales, packaging materials and other drug paraphernalia item," police noted in a news release. The search and seizure reportedly followed a seven-month investigation into the theft, possession and sale of archeological artifacts. Oregon State Police investigators made the case with the help of Klamath Tribes, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.