RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                       MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date: Thursday, December 27, 1990

INCIDENTS

90-450 - Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands) - Follow-up on Search

The boat that overturned in park waters on the 24th was a 12-footer with a
235 hp engine which was known to park rangers. It was reported to have been
operating without running lights between St. Thomas and the British Virgin
Islands around 9 p.m. that evening. Waters were turbulent at that time due
to significant tidal changes. When the boat was swamped, its two occupants
attempted to swim to St. John. After about an hour, one of the two men
reached the shore, where a citizen found him and took him to the local
clinic. When rangers arrived at the clinic, they found him unconscious and
suffering from pulmonary edema. Rangers employed three boats in a 24-hour-
long search of the waters where the boat capsized, but were unable to find
the second man. (Telefax from Pat Stanek, RAD/SERO, 12/26).

90-452 - Petrified Forest (Arizona) - Drug Arrest

On December 7th, ranger John Williams saw seven individuals collecting
petrified wood in the park and stopped their vehicle. After receiving the
owner's consent, Williams and other rangers searched the vehicle and found
petrified wood, several small bags of marijuana packaged for sale, and about
20 ceramic pipes of the type used for smoking marijuana. Four of the seven
were cited for illegally collecting petrified wood; one of the group was
arrested for possessing marijuana and transported to St. John's, Arizona.
(CRO, PEFO, via (3cmpuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 12/26).

90-453 - Joshua Tree (California) - Follow-up on 1984 Investigation

On October 18, 1984, three-year-old L.B. disappeared from the
park's Indian Cove (lampground. Her disappearance touched off a massive
search and investigation which had nationwide ramifications on the way
reports of missing children were handled by police agencies. In March of
1986, a fragment of a human skull was discovered about a mile and a half
northwest of the campground. Tests of blood and DNA from the skull and from
her parents were subsequently conducted. The results, which were recently
released, reveal that the DNA typing from the skull is consistent with the
DNA which would be found in a child of the family. The blood test was
also positive. Taken together, they indicate a very high probability that
the skull fragment was from the body of L.B. The case will now
become a death investigation rather than a missing person investigation, and
investigators will no longer pursue reports of current live sightings of
L.B. (CRO, JOTR, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 12/26).

90-454 - Yosemite (California) - Burglary Arrest

Rangers arrested 23-year-old M.S. at 1:30 a.m. on December 7th
for possession of stolen property, burglary, possession of burglary tools
and theft. Earlier that week, M.S., a former employee of Yosemite Park
and Curry Company, allegedly broke into one of the company's buildings and
stole a complete set of vending machine keys and a company radio. During
the week, M.S. purportedly employed the keys to break into Coke vending
machines and utilized tools to break into newspaper vending machines.
Informants gave law enforcement rangers information about M.S.'s
activities and provided the location of the stolen property. The radio,
several master keys, a portion of the vending machine money and stolen tools
have been recovered. M.S. allegedly broke into the more remote vending
machines in the middle of the night while monitoring Curry security
officers' radio transmissions; he is said to have utilized a mountain bike
for transportation. M.S. was on supervised parole at the time of his
arrest and is being held without bail on five felony counts. It's estimated
that over $400 was stolen from the various vending machines.  (CRO, YOSE,
via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 12/26).

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No reports today.

STAFF STATUS

- Division Chief: No travel scheduled.

- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Martin, Kreis, Coffey, Farabee,
  and Marriott on AL (12/26-12/28).

- Branch of Fire: Hurd and Broyles on AL (12/26-12/28).


Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:  FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax:    FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog:     1/650