Serpent Mound
© Ohio Historical SocietySerpent Mound is part of the Ancient Ohio Trail.
A group of "light warriors" buried what may be hundreds of small muffinlike resin objects, embedded with aluminum foil and quartz crystals, at Serpent Mound with the intent of realigning the energy of the ancient Native American site in Peebles.

The Ohio Historical Society and Adams County Sheriff K.R. Rogers haven't arrested anybody yet in what they consider a serious vandalism case. But the people who apparently did it made it easy by laying out their actions in an extensive YouTube video where they acknowledge they "did some work" in September at the site in Adams County to help "lift the vibration of the Earth so we can all rise together."

State officials aren't seeing the light, however, and expect to file charges soon against three to five people who they say vandalized and desecrated the 1,000-year-old site that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The perpetrators face second-degree misdemeanors, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

So far, only three small buried items, known as "orgonites," have been located. But there could be hundreds on the site, said George Kane, director of historic sites and facilities for the Ohio Historical Society. "Adding things to the property is just not acceptable," Kane said. "This is very serious."

Kane said officials were tipped off to "suspicious activity" at the Serpent Mound site mid-September but learned more by watching a YouTube video, "Serpent Mound Reactivation 2012," which has been removed from the video site.

The video includes background on Serpent Mound, the largest prehistoric effigy mound on Earth. While its original purpose remains a mystery, Serpent Mound's historical significance is compared to world sites such as the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal. The video, backed by New Age music, includes comments from individuals wearing "Light Team" T-shirts and describing themselves as "light warriors," who said they took several days planting orgonites at Serpent Mound to "reactivate it."

Several people are shown running and leaping across the Serpent Mound earthworks. It is posted by a group calling itself Unite the Collective.

Orgonites are handmade objects crafted from metal filings, such as aluminum, and quartz crystals, cast in a resin base, often in a muffin tin. Items such as feathers are sometimes added. Several websites devoted to making and using the devices claim they draw in negative energy and exude positive energy.

Next week, Kane said a group of volunteers will go over the entire length of the serpentine earthworks to find the devices, most of which he said probably are buried just below the surface.

The 63-acre site, which is visited by more than 20,000 people annually, is being considered for inclusion as a World Heritage Site.