RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Wednesday, April 4, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-51 - Glacier (Montana) - Fatality

At approximately 8:30 p.m. on the evening of the 2nd, park 
rangers found the body of B.S., 50, of Whitefish, 
Montana, in Lake McDonald on the west side of the park.  
B.S.'s husband had reported her missing; because she was 
known to frequent the park, a search was initiated by rangers 
which led to the discovery.  An investigation is underway, but 
homicide is not believed to have been the cause of death.  (Amy 
Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, via telefax from park, noon EDT, 4/3/90).

90-52 - Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) - Injury to Park Ranger

During a cooperative drug enforcement mission with the Hawaii 
County Police Department on April 2nd, park ranger Sam 
Kahookaulana, 34, was suspended from a fixed line under a 
helicopter.  The safety rig securing Kahookaulana to the 
helicopter malfunctioned, dropping him 15 feet to the trees 
below.  He was transported to a hospital in Hilo, and is 
reported to be in stable condition with chest injuries.  The 
cause of the malfunction is under investigation.  (Jim Martin, 
CR, HAVO, via telefaxed report from Christine Lee, WRO, 11:30 
a.m. EDT, 4/3/90).

90-53 - Natchez Trace Parkway (Mississippi/Alabama/Tennessee) -
Fatality

Around 8 a.m. on the morning of the 31st, a car carrying five 
members of a family left the road near milepost 194 in 
Mississippi, hit a bridge railing and fell approximately 20 feet 
to the road below.  C.R., 19, of Armory, Mississippi, 
was killed in the accident; the extent of injuries to the other 
four people in the car is unknown at this time.  Park rangers 
are investigating the accident.  (Telephone report from Steve 
Smith, RAD/SERO, 4/3/90).

90-54 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Involuntary Manslaughter Conviction

On March 16th, D.E. of Elko, Nevada, was found guilty 
of involuntary manslaughter in a four-day jury trial in district 
court in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  The conviction resulted from an 
automotive fatality which occurred in the park on the night of 
October 23, 1988.  On that evening, D.E. and his girl friend, 
D.K., got into an argument in a bar in West 
Yellowstone.  After they left the bar, they headed into the park 
on the west entrance road.  D.E. was driving the truck at a 
speed estimated at 90 m.p.h. when he lost control of the vehicle, 
went off the road, and travelled over 400 feet through a dense 
lodgepole forest.  The vehicle was totally destroyed, and 
D.K. was apparently killed instantly when the truck hit the 
first of six trees.  Neither D.E. nor D.K. was wearing 
seatbelts.  Two rangers on their way to Old Faithful saw a spare 
tire and pieces of wood on the road; when they searched the area 
with lights, they saw the wrecked truck in the woods with 
D.E.'s head leaning out the driver's window.  His feet were 
pinned under the pedals and he had suffered a broken left femur, 
broken right ankle and steering wheel injuries to the abdomen.  
As soon as one of the ranger's touched him, D.E. became alert 
and immediately stated that D.K. had been driving.  After 
the two were extricated from the vehicle, tests were taken to 
determine their blood alcohol levels.  D.K.'s was determined 
to have been 0.29% at the time of the accident; D.E.'s was 
0.15%.  During subsequent interviews, D.E. stated that 
D.K. would not let him drive the truck, and that he pulled 
her from behind the wheel when he felt the truck leave the road, 
got his feet on the pedals and attempted to stop the vehicle.  
During the trial, however, D.E. testified that he did not 
remember anything about the accident except that he was a 
passenger in the truck.  Two witnesses testified that they saw 
the two leave the bar together, and that D.E. drove away at a 
high rate of speed.  Based on these statements and the position 
of the victims in the vehicle, the jury determined that D.E. 
was the operator.  He has not yet been sentenced, but will face 
a maximum of five years in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.  (Bob 
Mihan, LES, YELL, via CompuServe report to RAD/WASO, 4/2/90).

OFFICE NOTES

1) Rumors have been circulating around the Service that the 
biweekly limitation on overtime pay contained in Title 5 U.S.C. 
has been lifted for law enforcement personnel by the enactment 
of a new law, PL 101160.  Personnel has done some research on 
the new law, and has found that it deals with recognition of 
veterans and has nothing to do with overtime or any other kind 
of pay.  They also checked with OPM to see if there was some 
other piece of legislation that affected the biweekly pay cap on 
law enforcement officers.  The only recent change has been the 
lifting of the limitation on administratively uncontrollable 
overtime (AUO) differentials.  Previously, employees whose 
salaries exceeded GS10, step 1, were limited to differentials 
based on that grade and step.  Their differentials are now based 
on their full rate of pay.  Since we currently have no employees 
receiving AUO, the law does not apply to the NPS.  [Mario Fraire, 
Personnel, WASO]

TRANSMITTALS

Memorandum: "Law Enforcement Leather Equipment", signed on March 
28th by Dave Moffitt, Acting Associate Director, Operations, and 
sent the same day to all regional directors for distribution to 
field areas.  The memo contains instructions on ordering law 
enforcement leather equipment from R&R Uniforms and has a 
contract modification attached with authorizes any NPS 
contracting officer to issue a delivery order for the purchase 
of this equipment using local funding.  

STAFF STATUS

Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Loach at Voyageurs 
(4/46), Healy at DARE session in Rocky Mountain NP (4/35),
Coffey in Athens, Georgia at SAF wilderness conference (4/56).

Branch of Fire: Gale in D.C. for meetings (4/35), Norum at 
National Fire Weather Advisory Group meeting in D.C. (4/25).

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:  FTS 343-4874/6039 or 202-343-4874/6039
Telefax:    FTS 343-5977 or 202-343-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER
SEAdog:     1/650 (Phone:343-6014; BAUD:2400)