Was it a social media stunt gone wrong? A case of consuming a few too many beers? Or was it just exceptionally juvenile behavior?
Whatever the original inspiration, two men are likely rethinking their life choices as they now stand accused of a felony offense for allegedly causing $200,000 worth of damage to a woolly mammoth exhibit in Ridgedale, Missouri.
KOLR-TV reported that Brett Howard and Todd Azevedo of Petaluma, California, were arrested by investigators with the Taney County Sheriff’s Department after the incident at the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum.
The museum, which features an extensive collection of Native American and prehistoric artifacts, is part of the Top of the Rock attraction at Big Cedar Lodge.
The news report cited a probable cause statement, which said the two men were observed on a security monitor near the woolly mammoth skeleton at about 10:53 p.m. on March 8.
“Azevedo waved Howard over and encouraged him to grab the tusk of the woolly mammoth fossil on display,” KOLR reported.
“Azevedo then lifted Howard onto his shoulders, giving him enough height to reach the tusk,” the outlet said.
“Once Howard grabbed the tusk, he allegedly tried to hang from it, causing it to break free and fall to the floor, where it shattered into multiple pieces.”
The men reportedly fled, but a witness pursued them, brought them back inside, and called authorities.
The two men — both in their late 40s — were arrested on charges of first-degree property damage, a Class E felony, and were released on $15,000 bonds, KOLR reported.
The probable cause statement estimated the tusk’s weight at around 200 pounds, and security staff said it was worth about $1,000 per pound.
The museum itself would have been closed at the time of the incident, but the giant fossilized skeleton is an impressive showpiece displayed just outside the attraction in a central passageway, where it beckons to visitors passing between a restaurant, gift shop, and golf course entrance.
As described in MainlyMuseums.com, “As soon as you enter the building, you are dwarfed by the skeletal remains of a massive woolly mammoth that once walked the prehistoric lands of our modern-day Missouri.”
“It is one of the largest artifacts, too tall to fit in the below-ground levels of the main museum.”
The 35,000-square-foot museum contains over 75,000 artifacts, including extensive collections of fossils and Native American weapons, pottery, baskets, art, and clothing. The attraction was built by Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris, a native of nearby Springfield, Missouri.
The Western Journal reached out to the organization for comment via phone and email, but no response was received by the time of publication.
A Class E felony in Missouri carries a maximum possible prison term of four years and a fine of up to $10,000.
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