Southern Ohio man admits to buying Native American remains

JACKSON, Ohio (AP) — A southern Ohio man has admitted he purchased the remains of eight Native Americans reportedly stolen from a Jackson County farm.

Mark Beatty, 56, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Wednesday to one count of trafficking in Native American remains, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Beatty is one of the few cases criminally prosecuted as part of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Jackson County Sheriff Tedd Frazier said three men dug up the remains of two adults and six children from a farm and sold them to Beatty. Some of the remains are believed to be prehistoric and were full skeletons.

“He was purchasing from grave robbers,” he said.