Image Source: CGP Grey, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
What was the Accusation?
Glenn Taylor and Dave Hall faced widespread criticism in October 2013 after a video showed Taylor deliberately pushing a large sandstone hoodoo from its natural pedestal at Goblin Valley State Park in Utah while Hall filmed and narrated the incident. The men were serving as adult Boy Scout leaders during a Scouting trip when the incident occurred. After the formation fell, the video showed the group celebrating and exchanging high-fives. Hall announced that they had “modified Goblin Valley.” The footage was posted online and quickly generated national and international outrage.
Taylor and Hall maintained that they had not intended to vandalize the park. They said the large rock appeared unstable and that they feared it could fall on a visitor, particularly a child. Utah State Parks officials rejected the idea that visitors should take such action themselves, emphasizing that concerns about unstable formations should be reported to park personnel. The controversy was especially significant because the men were Scout leaders and the Boy Scouts of America teaches outdoor conservation and “Leave No Trace” principles. The organization condemned their conduct, and Taylor and Hall were subsequently removed from their Scout leadership positions.
Both men later expressed regret. Taylor said he wished they had contacted a ranger rather than taking matters into their own hands, while Hall acknowledged that they were sorry for the damage and embarrassment they had caused. Hall later described the incident as a mistake and said the men wanted to make it right. Their responses nevertheless continued to emphasize their original belief that the formation presented a safety hazard, combining apologies and expressions of regret with an explanation intended to reduce their responsibility for the decision.
The incident eventually resulted in criminal charges. In January 2014, Taylor was charged with criminal mischief and Hall with aiding and assisting in criminal mischief. Both charges were initially third-degree felonies. In March 2014, the men pleaded guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges and were sentenced to one year of probation, along with fines and restitution. Prosecutors said restitution money would help pay for signs warning future visitors against damaging the park’s formations.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Mortification, Good Intentions, Corrective Action, Attacking the Accuser
Video
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Transcript
Glenn Taylor (Excerpts):
“I wish we would’ve been smart enough to go get a ranger cause it was wrong of us to be vigilantes, and I’m sorry I did that.”
Taylor also described himself as “incredibly sorry for the destruction of any natural resource.”
“We did something right the wrong way,”
After receiving death threats: “You have no idea: ridiculous. We’re dealing with it. We made a mistake, and they want to go after our family.”
“I love the Boy Scouts, I’m sorry they’re going through with this. I wish we would’ve gotten a ranger and let him push it over.”
“If you’re a felon, you can’t be a scouter and that would break my heart, but I did the crime,”
Dave Hall (Excerpts):
“We’re extremely sorry for our mistake. We look forward to doing everything we can to make it right and move on.”
“I think we made the right decision, but probably the wrong method.”
“We made a mistake and we need to own up to that,”
“Just because there’s no documentation of a goblin falling on somebody doesn’t mean that it can’t happen,”
“We are 100 percent willing to be responsible for anything that we might have done,”
After they were charged with a crime: “We’ve said what needed to be said in the past, we’ve apologized, we’ve said we’re sorry, we’re happy to see this thing coming to an end. We’re just not going to be making any interview appointments, statements, anything. What’s said has already been said.”
“We decided the best and smartest thing is, push it over so it can’t fall on top of somebody,”
“We came across this two- to three-thousand-pound boulder that was resting on about an inch-and-a-half-thick, razor-thin ledge of dirt.”
“Upon putting a little pressure on it, you could see that it was moving and just then a couple of families walked up right below that rock and went around it…and stopped for a family photo.
“And the thought that went through our minds was if this would have fallen while they were coming up that valley, up that very well-used walkway, numerous fatalities would have happened.”
