A former Kauai politician will head to court Thursday to answer charges of disturbing and damaging a historic Native Hawaiian site.

Meanwhile, Garden Isle prosecutors are cracking down on the thefts of sacred stones.

"The Hawaiians tapped the water coming from the mountains and built a 100-mile irrigation system to irrigate the pockets of dirt within this rock outcropping," said Koloa resident Ted Blake.

Kauai's heiau and other ancient Hawaiian sites are a source of pride for Blake, "We have such an archeological treasure trove of sites here, and finally it's being re-discovered by people."

Blake has seen a number of the sacred sites restored, but he's also seen others damaged when people come to the rock-strewn landscapes for more than just a look at Hawaii's past.

"For people building stone walls, they come and help themselves to rock here. All of the rocks they are taking down are archeological sites they are taking down," said Blake.

Former state Rep. Roland Sagum III and Lealiki Koli are accused of doing just that, taking rocks and damaging a cultural preserve on Kauai's south side, near a popular heiau.

While there haven't been many arrested recently, it is a crime Kauai's prosecutor said his office takes seriously.

"The cultural and historic resources of our islands are something we want to preserve for future generations," said Kauai Prosecutor Justin Kollar.

Sagum and Koli are accused of taking truck loads of the rock during the summer of 2011. The rocks were on land owned by Kukui'ula Development Corporation. The pair reportedly used those rocks for a wall that was built on Sagum's property.