Police have charged two more people with destroying the Santa Fe Plaza obelisk on Oct. 12, bringing the total of accused to seven on Monday evening.
Melissa Rose, 44, and Lauren Straily, 28, are both charged with criminal damage to property (over $1,000), conspiracy, unlawful assembly, criminal trespass, resisting, evading or obstructing an officer and unauthorized graffiti (with over $1,000 worth of damage).
Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Ben Valdez announced in a statement on social media and to the press that the department had cooperated with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, New Mexico State Police and the District Attorney's Office to file the charges.
Valdez also said that the agencies are continuing to look for and charge people in the case.
Lily Sage Schweitzer, 33, and Ryan Witt, 29, were charged five days earlier. Jail records don't indicate that either of the women newly charged with the crimes in the last week, including Dawn Furlong, who was charged Friday, have been booked into the Santa Fe County jail.
SFPD did not respond to questions from SFR about why now five of the seven people charged in relation to the protest on Indigenous Peoples Day do not appear to have been arrested.
Dozens of protesters participated in pulling down the monument in broad daylight, and police had said they would use video surveillance and body camera footage, as well as tips from the community, to track down those who had active roles.
SFPD arrested Sean Sunderland, 24, and Dylan Wrobel, 27, the day of the Indigenous Peoples Day event for their alleged involvement in the incidents leading up to the takedown of the obelisk, including a brief tussle with officers caught on bodycam footage. Both were jailed and released on bond.
