Karl Etters

Democrat staff writer

Florida wildlife officials investigated an illegal archeological dig in Jefferson County for more than a year.

Last week, four people — Darin C. Reynolds, Taylor C. Passetti, Matthew P. Munsey and Jordan T. Patterson — were arrested on charges of unlawful excavation of an archeological site. Patterson surrendered Aug. 14.

The Aucilla River Management Area site has been looted in the past, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Bekah Nelson. Officers started investigating the illegal operation in June 2015. FWC officers are still finalizing arrest reports detailing the incident.

East of the Wacissa River, the site is several miles from an underwater location where Florida State University researchers this year announced the discovery of stone tools as much as 14,550 years old, thought to be the oldest signs of human life in the southeast U.S.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com