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Crow's Nest owners, group won't pursue legal action against property's former caretaker who allowed event without approval. Date published: 11/29/2006 By MEGHANN COTTER
By MEGHANN COTTER
The owners of Crow's Nest and a relic hunting group have both decided not to pursue legal action against the former caretaker of the land. The relic hunters said they paid the caretaker, who let them on to the property last month. The peninsula's owner, K&M Properties of McLean, denied knowledge of the three-day event, which drew 175 participants. They had police escort the group off the property by the end of the first day. The few hours' worth of metal detecting and digging on the 3,200 acres created little damage, said K&M's attorney, Clark Leming. So K&M does not plan to file a civil suit against the caretaker. Event organizers told a county detective just days ago that the group didn't want to pursue criminal fraud charges, said Stafford Sheriff Charles Jett. He said they indicated the money the caretaker accepted for their use of the peninsula had been refunded. "It would be up to [the event organizer] to communicate to us if there had been a fraud. He's indicated that there has not been and he's satisfied and does not need to have any further communication with us," Jett said. Larry Cissna, founder of the event, called the Grand National Relic Shootout, did not return phone calls. But the organization's Web page, thetreasuredepot.com, says participants paid $200 each and came from as far away as Alabama, Canada and Illinois to attend. Similar digs have been held around the country for the past nine years. Hunters, armed with metal detectors and shovels, compete in 16-person teams, winning trophies based on how many and what kind of artifacts they find. The locks on the gates at the entrance to Crow's Nest were changed just days after the relic hunters were told to leave the property, Leming said. Stafford Historic Planner Wendy Wheatcraft also inspected the site for damage. "The known cultural resources, at least those along main roads, seemed OK," she said, adding that it was difficult to identify recent ground disturbance because of leaf coverage. She wasn't able to check out the entire acreage. The relic group has not produced the signed contract and canceled checks, which prove who and what they paid for use of the land, Leming said. But he excuses them as "innocent third parties." "It's a fairly minor blip at an inopportune time," he said. County officials and activists have spent years trying to buy the environmentally sensitive Crow's Nest peninsula for a state park. They have been unable to agree on a price. Earlier this month, county officials filed paperwork to begin condemnation of the land. To reach MEGHANN COTTER:
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