RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/date:  Tuesday, September 17, 1991

INCIDENTS

91-487 - Santa Monica Mountains (California) - Death of Employee

Richard M. Williams, 49, the park's resource management 
specialist, died in his sleep Saturday night, September 14th.  
No further details are available at present.  [Bill Webb, 
Superintendent, SAMO, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, 
RAD/WRO, 9/16]

91-488 - Denali (Alaska) - Search in Progress for Missing Employees

A search has begun for two park employees  E.H., 23, an SCA 
employee from Pasadena, California, and J.C., 24, a 
seasonal interpretive ranger from Summit, New Jersey  who failed 
to return as scheduled last week from a climb of 8,838-foot Scott 
Peak, six miles from the visitor center at Eielson.  E.H. and 
J.C. planned to hike to the foot of Sunset Glacier, then 
make a oneday climb up the mountain.  They were to have returned 
by September 12th or, at the latest, the 13th.  On the morning 
of the 14th, searchers received a report that a tent had been 
spotted which appeared to be blowing on a river bar about six 
miles up Thorofare River from Eielson.  Two rangers hiked in and 
found the tent, which belonged to E.H. and held a sleeping bag, 
a pad and two pairs of hiking boots.  They also found a 
bearresistant food container in the vicinity.  Since the pair 
had left their hiking boots behind, its believed that they are 
wearing their mountaineering boots and are on the mountain.  The 
search is focusing on two possible routes, both of which have 
difficult areas and exposure to ice and snow.  Four rangers and 
volunteers were flown to the search area from Talkeetna via 
helicopters on the 15th, and a volunteer team from the Alaska 
Mountain Rescue Group was to join them yesterday.  Overcast 
skies and winds in excess of 70 miles per hour have limited the 
use of helicopters and fixedwing aircraft.  Temperatures were in 
the high 20's most nights last week, but were above freezing on 
Friday.  [Telefaxed report from RAD/ARO, 9/16]

91-489 - Martin Luther King (Georgia) - Assault on Ranger; 
Assailant Shot

At about 8:00 p.m. last night, ranger Johnny Simms was changing 
a tire on an NPS vehicle when he observed two men and a woman on 
the porch of a vacant park building.  Simms approached the trio 
and told them to leave the area, but they instead confronted and 
assaulted him.  During the ensuing struggle, the ranger's weapon 
discharged, wounding the woman in the legs.  All three were 
arrested, and the woman was taken to a medical facility.  Simms 
received a minor injury to a finger.  The park is under 
proprietary jurisdiction, and the incident is being handled by 
the Atlanta police.  Further details are to follow.  [Telephone 
report from Steve Alscher, LES, RAD/SERO, to Jack Schamp, LES, 
RAD/WASO, 9/16]

91-490 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Shots Fired at Vehicle

Just before midnight on September 14th, N.B., 24, a 
resident of Warrenton, Virginia, and a volunteer EMT with a 
Fauquier County rescue squad, contacted the Fauquier County 
sheriff's office by fire/rescue radio and reported that an 
unknown individual had fired two shots at his 1982 Chevrolet 
pickup while he'd been driving between Hughes River Gap and 
Mary's Rock Tunnel on Skyline Drive.  The sheriff's department 
notified park dispatch, and rangers Helen McNutt, Tim Alley, 
Linda Crouch, Robert Martin and David Bauer responded.  They 
found two holes similar to those made by firearms in the 
windshield; the truck's rear window had been destroyed.  
N.B. was not injured.  While McNutt interviewed him, the 
others closed the section of road on which the incident had 
allegedly occurred and swept the area several times for suspects 
and evidence.  Their efforts were hampered, however, by a dense 
fog which covered that section of the park and did not lift 
until dawn.  The rangers were then able to make a thorough 
search of the area.  No evidence was found, so the drive was 
reopened to traffic at 7:40 a.m. on the 15th.  The investigation 
continues.  [Telefaxed report from Greg Stiles, ACR, SHEN, 9/16]

91-491 - Glacier (Montana) - Car Clouts

Some time between midnight and 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 
12th, six vehicles were broken into in the Apgar Campground.  A 
slim jim or similar device appears to have been used to gain 
entrance through the vehicles' doors or wing windows, so there 
was no damage to the vehicles themselves.  The thief or thieves 
took approximately $500 in cash, but did not take any of the 
travelers' checks, credit cards, photographic equipment or other 
items that were in the vehicles.  Most of the cash was taken 
from wallets or purses, especially those under passenger seats 
or in glove boxes.  The vehicles were only 20 feet from sleeping 
campers when they were entered; one pickup was broken into 
without disturbing a dog in the bed of the truck.  Some campers 
reported hearing footsteps near their tents between 1:30 and 
2:30 a.m., followed by the sound of a car door closing.  One 
shined a flashlight in the direction of his vehicle and heard 
someone run away.  The only suspect in the case is an unknown 
transient who had been observed in the area.  [Telefax from Bob 
Andrew, CR, GLAC, 9/16]

91-492 - Crater Lake (Oregon) - Car Clouts

Between the hours of midnight and 7:00 a.m. on September 9th, 
six cars were hit by car clouters in the Mazama Campground.  The 
thieves took $737 in cash, $3,000 in travelers' checks, a Pentax 
camera, and some other items of little monetary value.  The 
method of entry was the same as in the last wave of car clouts 
which occurred in the park on July 22nd  entry was made through 
the passenger side door or window with the doors usually 
relocked and the windows rolled partially or all the way back up.  
In almost every case, attempts were made by the clouters to 
conceal indications that they'd been in the cars.  Many victims 
were not aware that they were missing money until they left the 
park.  No footprints were found; one partial print was 
discovered and will be processed through the local state crime 
lab.  There are no suspects at this time.  [Doug Raeburn, CRLA, 
via SEAdog message from Mike Blankenship, RAD/PNRO, 9/12]

91-493 - Ozark (Missouri) - MVA with Fatality

A car driven by J.H., 32, of Kahokia, Illinois, and 
carrying six passengers ran off Highway 106 near Powder Mill on 
September 13th.  J.H. was killed, but none of the passengers, 
all relatives, was injured.  The cause of the accident is 
unknown.  [Gary Smith, Acting CR, OZAR, via CompuServe message 
from Tom Thompson, RAD/MWRO, 9/16]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) If you're keeping track of incident numbers, you may have 
noticed that yesterday's were incorrect.  Incident reports 91-482, 
483 and 484 should have been, respectively, 484, 485 and 486.  

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady in Grand Teton (9/16-9/20).

Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Martin and Smith at 
NIBRS beta test training, Philadelphia, PA (9/16-9/17 and 
9/15-9/20, respectively); Marriott at drug program review, ORPI, 
and DARE training, GRCA (9/15-9/20); Sisto on annual leave 
(9/17-9/24).

Branch of Fire & Aviation: Hurd at aviation management council 
meeting, WASO (9/19); Spruill at aviation management work group 
and council meetings, WASO (9/17-9/19); Gale at 50th anniversary 
planning meeting, U.S.S. Arizona, Pearl Harbor, HI (9/16-9/23); 
Broyles at faculty meeting for RX-90, Harrison, VA (9/16-9/21); 
Farrel at meetings in WASO and Harpers Ferry Center, WV 
(9/17-9/27).

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