European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 1, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Nevada new i Mexico i Plant s main Stem ii is actually a deformity a botanical aberration called fascia lion " nobody knows whal Crusos it. It occurs Only in the wild and can t be reproduced in a Nursery. On this particular Saguaro the Crest measured mom than 6 feet across and 4 feel tall. On Roy and Rosslow Crockett s ninth Winter in Quad Lusile old Granddad was gone weddin l know whal Ledoor whal to think Rossie Crockett said Tho More i thought about it the madder i got. Finally i called the  the following Day mrs. Crockett s report reached ale Leivas an agent of the Arizona agricultural and horticultural commission whose it strict encompasses Ouarles irleand whose Dulies include thai of Cactus cop As they Are known in the stale. She led him to the Hole in the ground where the old callus had stood Leivas found some tire tracks and look some pictures she showed him her own pictures of old Granddad i had figured it was just another Saguaro Leivas said Whan i saw Hei pictures i thought wow. 1 had never seen such a crested  Leivas Relur cd to the site with Survey maps and confirm cd his suspicion Ihal in was on land controlled by the Bureau of land management Federal land and phoned Keeler the . Fish and wildlife agent. Than he recalled a Transil notice he had received Cavlier irom a Border agent in California information the iwo slates Exchange when native plants Are transported across stale lines. Top ool a protected Plant legally requires a permit irom the state and a Metal tag Al ipod to the plan. The notice said Ihal a Load of calluses duly lagged had passed through Violal Junction Calif on a flatbed truck Fob 3 ii mentioned no crossed Saguaro. But As Leivat discovered later. The Saguaro had been hidden beneath other varieties of especially prickly plans concealed As if by barbed wire. The notice said the Load was bound for Las vegas the Carrier listed As Rattlesnake ranch near Wenden Ariz Leivas decided to Check in out. Meanwhile he had mrs. Crockett s pictures made into a sort of wanted poster like a missing child bulletin in a supermarket and mailed a copy to every Border checkpoint in Arizona. Cali Lomia Nevada and new Mexico. Be also sent a poster to John Jones of the Nevada division of forestry in Las vegas and fold him about Tho Load of calluses. Jones immediately recognized the picture of Hie crested Saguaro As one that recently arrived at callus King a leading Nevada Nursery. Gut a picture is not. As Tho cops say a positive id so Keoler and Leivas arranged to drive Iho 300 Miles to Las vegas Wilh or. And mrs Crockett and have them Lake a look. There in is Roy Crockett cried even before they pulled into the Nursery. Said Linda Akers the ass Island us Alloney who prepared the Case for trial. Ii was the Only plan lineup i be Ever heard of. I mean or and mrs. Crockett do you recognize any plan among that Bunch?1 you have to admit in s  ii turned out the Deal had been made through a middleman a broker and the the Nursery owner was unaware that it was illegal. The thief sold it for $1,300 to the broker who resold Illo the Nursery Lor $1.500. That would be about the markup for any Saguaro this size but this crested Beauty was special. Aller in was Here a week i was hollered $7,500," said Iho Nursery owner Jeff Meckley. Obviously i was t going to Lei it go Lor the first Coler but the Ruth is i did t want to sell in at All thai s Why i marked it up to �15,000. It was so Magn Ilieen i wanted to keep it  Mcelley. Disappointed bundled up old Granddad Wilh Loving Caro and proper equipment. He hauled it to where Keeler had arranged for its keeping Tho Descry botanical gardens in Phoenix ii is no easy Job to move a giant Saguaro without damage internal or external they Are deceptively heavy storing enough water within to last As Long As four years Wilhour a refill. This one weighed iwo tons transporting one Sally involves Hydraulic hoists and slings and padded cradles. The thief had used none. Now Keeler and Leivas had their Cactus but not their Case the callus was lagged Wilh a legitimate lag no. 10106. Ii was issued la Glen and Karen Conli of the Halll Snake ranch on Jan. 10.19b6. It authorized them to dig cac uses along a 100-fool-wide right of Way for an Oil pipeline across the Arizona desert. The Only Lime permission is Given to uproot any of Arizona s 212 species of Prol cycled  from stale or Federal land which constitutes 67 percent of Arizona soil is when they arc in certain danger of being destroyed by such a project Keeter found Rattlesnake ranch Oul in the Middle of nowhere in a place known is Butler Valley the ranch hurried Oul to be a trailer and a Lew other beat up vehicles. No electricity. No running water. The Clontze admitted they had dug Tho crested Cactus. They maintained that they had saved in the Nick of time from the pipeline bulldozers Ceier noticed a dozen Saguaro Scall ered about Wilh no lags and also an immature red tailed Hawk a protected Bird which he Lound starving to death in a Cage. He took the pitiful creature to a rehabilitation Center in Phoenix. 11 who a la say precisely where a Cactus was taken " Keeler said he claimed it came irom the pipeline path without the Crockett s photos we did t have much of a Case " so Keefer look Tho photos Oul to the Sale and stood in the exact spol where the Crockell had stood and snapped his own pictures the backgrounds matched Only old Granddad was missing a mile from the pipeline. That sewed in up. The evidence was so  said . Attorney Akeis that we let Iho Clenties plead Guill y and saved the expense of a  under Arizona Law Cactus rustling is a Misdemeanour. Under cider Al Law it is a felony and this was the first Lime the government had had the evidence to make in stick. In recognition. The Crockell received a $2,000 Reward on feb. 23, 1987, a year and a Day Aller Rosslee cracked reported Iho missing Saguaro to the Snoll. Glen and Karen Clontz wore each lined $250 and he was sent Oil to the Federal Penitentiary in Boron. Calil. Wenru he served us months of a two year sentence both Ware put on live years supervised probation and forbidden to Deal in plans Lor that period. When i called the  said mrs. Crockett. I Houghl he would just scold somebody Ana make them put ii Back. Now i know what it Means to make a Federal Caso out of something " the baby Hawk died. So. At last did the callus Gass. Of the botanical gardens said the great plan had Sumerel More knocking around than t could  had gotten inside it some form of Ballena a said. We have Kepi the Crest to study  so they have ii Icsis on soil grass in the Shade and is magnificent in its size a rolling relic of desert glory destroyed sunday May 1,1988 Thi stars and stripes Page 17