RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           CC: RAD Information Net

Day/date:  Thursday, September 7, 1989

INCIDENTS

89-262 - Lake Meredith (Texas) - Shooting Incident

On the evening of September 2nd, W.V.G., 27, and his wife,
N.R.G., of Amarillo, Texas, were camping at Harbor Bay when they
decided to join a group of campers who were drinking, singing and chanting
in the campground. Around 8:30 p.m., B.D. and two other men from
Amarillo approached the group in a very antagonistic manner and asked them
to quiet down. One of the three men had a machete. During the ensuing
argument, W.V.G. was hit with the butt end or flat side of the
machete; he then pulled a knife and another member of the group grabbed a
hatchet. The sequence of events that followed is still unclear, but it
appears that W.V.G. then got a .357 revolver from his truck, lost it in the
general melee that followed, and was shot in the head and stomach, probably
by B.D. N.R.G. was shot through the leg. B.D. and his two
friends fled, threw the pistol and machete into Lake Meredith, packed up all
their gear and left the park. A park dispatcher who was monitoring local
frequencies on a scanner heard an ambulance being dispatched to Harbor Bay
and sent a ranger to investigate. The ranger helped provide life support to
W.V.G. and rode with him to the hospital; the second ranger to arrive
began an investigation. Although most of the twenty or so people at the
scene were intoxicated, the ranger was able to get a description of the
vehicle the three men had left in. The dispatcher recognized the vehicle as
one which had been stopped earlier in the day for a traffic infraction,
pulled the violation notice and got enough information on it to provide
Amarillo PD officers with the name and address of the owner. B.D.'s two
friends were arrested as they arrived at home, and B.D. was arrested on
the 5th on a federal warrant issued by the FBI. B.D. has a long criminal
history, and was on parole from an ADW (assault with a deadly weapon)
conviction. W.V.G. is still alive, but he is on life support
equipment and is reported to be deteriorating rapidly. An Amarillo dive
team is on site looking for the weapons thrown into the lake. The Moore
County Sheriff's Office is the lead agency on the investigation; they are
being assisted by NPS rangers and the FBI. (Telephone report from Bill
Tanner, RAD/SWRO).

89-263 - Fredericksburg (Virginia) - Major Car Clouting Arrest

On August 31st and September 2nd, a series of car clouts (break-ins)
occurred in the park. A stakeout over the Labor Day weekend proved
fruitless, but a park interpreter came upon a man attempting to pry open a
vehicle window in the Fredericksburg visitor center lot on the 4th and
called rangers for assistance. The man was caught and arrested, and his car
was impounded. During the subsequent search of his vehicle, rangers found a
large number of stolen items, including travelers checks, credit cards,
jewelry and cameras. It was also learned that the man had a rented locker
in the area, and efforts are currently being made to get a search warrant
and enter it. It appears that the man had spent the summer working parks
and other areas; if you have had car clouts in your park and would like
further information on this incident, please call chief ranger Mike Johnson
at 703-373-4461. A full report on the incident will be posted as a law
enforcement advisory on CompuServe tomorrow morning. (Mike Johnson, CR,
FRSP, via telephone report from Chris Andress, RAD/MARO).

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION: Planning Level II.

The NIFCC fire situation report is again unavailable this morning.

2) NARRATIVES

Sixteen fires, apparently set by arsonists, erupted Wednesday within two and
a half hours along a stretch of Highway 49 between Sonora and Angels Camp in
California. Two men from Angels Camp were later arrested by CDF officers
and charged with felony wildland arson. One of the fires forced a temporary
evacuation of Tuttletown, a community of 150 residents. The fire covered
325 acres of grass and brush and burned three cars and seven structures.
About 600 firefighters were deployed on that fire. (UPI, 9/7).

The Cromberg Fire in Plumas NF began about 2 p.m. on the 6th and burned over
3,000 acres of timber and brush during the next six hours. The cause of the
fire is unknown. There are 700 firefighters working this fire. Cromberg is
about 70 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada. (UPI, 9/7).

TRANSMITTALS

Memorandum: "Significant Incident Reporting Procedures", signed September
5th by Jack Morehead, Associate Director, Operations, and sent yesterday to
all regional directors and regional chief rangers. To be disseminated to
all park superintendents. Contains updated reporting criteria and
establishes new SOP's for transmitting reports.

STAFF STATUS

Halainen out all day.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities