Hotchkiss shell
Two men have been sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to each make $12,821.83 in restitution in connection with taking a Civil War shell from the mouth of Battle Creek near the Tennessee River at South Pittsburg.
Michael Tarpley and William "Butch" Shirley appeared before Federal Judge Curtis Collier.
They pleaded guilty to excavating archaeological resources from public lands without authority in violation of federal law.
Kenneth Fagin and Terry Tate are to be sentenced on July 30.
Charges were dismissed against Victor Holmes.
Prosecutors said the defendants took a Civil War Hotchkiss shell from the site of Fort McCook. A Hotchkiss shell is a three-inch-long armament from the Civil War.
Prosecutors said the group learned of the existence of Civil War artifacts at the bottom of Battle Creek at the site of the fort as early as 2007.
The defendants did not have a permit issued under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act nor did they have authority from TVA to excavate artifacts from Battle Creek, it was stated.