Authorities arrested a man wanted in connection with 30 tagging incidents on federal land near Parker Dam, including graffiti that “supported flat earth research and the Rise Above Movement,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Friday.
Skyler Gene Butts, 34, was taken into custody by Colorado River Station deputies at around 2:30 p.m. Thursday after a year-long investigation, authorities said.
The Arizona man was seen in surveillance cameras the day before, driving his company vehicle near Parker Dam Road and then spray painting the side of a restroom facility, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Butts was identified as the suspect after an investigation and he was booked into a Colorado River jail on felony vandalism charges, according to authorities.
Bureau of Land Management rangers also assisted with the arrest.
Reports of tagging incidents that involved the Flat Earth Society and Neo-Nazi movements near Parker Dam started coming in more than a year ago, authorities said.
The Rise Above Movement is a white-supremacist group based in Southern California and claims to have about 50 members.
It is unclear whether Butts is affiliated with the group.
The estimated damages for defacing the property is estimated at over $5,000, authorities said.
Butts’ bail was set at $25,000, the Sheriff’s Department said.