- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, June 15, 1993
- Date: Tues, 15 Jun 1993
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Tuesday, June 15, 1993
Broadcast: By 0830 ET
INCIDENTS
93-352 - Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah) - Memorial Day Incidents
The holiday weekend literally began with a bang when a 36-foot homemade
houseboat blew up at Lone Rock at noon on Thursday, May 27th. Although
there were no injuries, the blast, which was caused by a propane leak,
caused $75,000 in damage to the boat. The centers of subsequent activities
at the park were Hobie Cat Beach, Lone Rock Beach and Antelope Point. There
were between 8,000 and 10,000 youths at Hobie Cat throughout the weekend.
Although binge drinking was common, there were few medical emergencies and
no deaths. For the second year in a row, there were gangs present at both
beaches. Two unidentified white gangs showed up at Lone Rock and apparently
engaged in racial attacks against blacks; all reports were by third parties,
though, and rangers were unable to confirm the incidents or make contact
with either group. Tongan groups were again present at Hobie Cat. In one
incident, they retaliated against a couple for stealing firewood by severely
beating both of them with boards. The male lost six or eight of his front
teeth and also suffered facial fractures. Activities there this year
featured a female strip show and open performance of sexual acts.
Representatives from approximately ten agencies were at Hobie Cat, but only
two were at Lone Rock. Because of the decrease in EMS calls, rangers and
officers were able to allocate more time to law enforcement. There were 124
arrests, almost all involving alcohol violations (DUI, boating under the
influence, public intoxication and fighting), and 262 citations. The U.S.
magistrate heard 78 cased over the weekend from Hobie Cat Beach alone.
There were 40 drug arrests; associated with these arrests were the seizures
of five vehicles, a 40-foot motor home, and a 35-foot fifth-wheel camper.
This year, Hobie Cat attracted persons from as far away as California,
Oregon and Alabama. The park brought in assistance from several areas,
including Washington and San Francisco. Most of the drug cases were made
through the use of two undercover USPP officers from San Francisco and a
canine officer and his dog from Washington. The latter worked with
counternarcotics rangers and local sheriff's department officers. At one
point, an undercover Utah Bureau of Investigation officer approached a
ranger, advised him that the beach was unsafe for uniformed officers, and
suggested that he leave. [Larry Clark, CR, GLCA, 6/10]
93-353 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Assist: Shooting
Just before 3 a.m. on May 24th, park dispatch received a 911 call reporting
a subject not breathing in front of a bar in Tusayan, just outside the
park's boundary. Ranger/paramedic Keith Lober responded and found a 30-
year-old male shot through the head in his vehicle. Lober began advanced
cardiac life support; ranger/paramedics Brian Smith and Nancy Mecham and
ranger/IEMT Kent Mecham assisted and subsequently transported the victim to
the park clinic, where he was later pronounced dead. Ranger John Piastuck
and investigator Dave Swickard detained a possible suspect/material witness
and assisted Coconino deputies in securing the crime scene and beginning an
investigation. The investigation to date indicates a likely suicide, but
under questionable circumstances. [Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 6/11]
93-354 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Forgery and Theft Conviction
On May 26th, J.J.J., 41, of Junction City, Oregon, was sentenced
in Federal court in Cheyenne to 15 months in prison following his conviction
for interstate transportation of a motor vehicle and check forgery, both of
which occurred within the park. J.J.J. was also placed on supervised
probation for three years after his release; prohibited from possession or
use of firearms, illegal drugs or controlled substances; ordered to submit
to urinalysis testing; required to participate in drug and mental health
treatment programs and programs for sex offenders; and ordered to pay a
special assessment of $100 to the court and $300 restitution for the forged
check. The incident occurred on August 10, 1992, when a Hamilton Store
employee in the Lake area advised rangers Rick Fey and Richard Gale that
J.J.J., who was working for TWRS at the Lake Hotel, had not returned her
pickup, which she had loaned him several days earlier. She also found that
J.J.J. had forged a personal check belonging to her father for $300 a few
days before he disappeared. The vehicle was entered as stolen in NCIC and
was recovered at a lumber mill in Lakeview, Oregon, on December 2, 1992.
J.J.J. had been arrested by the FBI near Bend, Oregon, in November for
forgery and had been incarcerated in Roseburg, Oregon. A friend of his had
been using the truck. J.J.J. was extradited to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in
January, and the sentence was the result of a plea agreement. [CRO, YELL,
6/14]
93-355 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Hazardous Substance Spill
An apparent hazardous material spill upstream from the park on June 12th
caused several fish kills. The park accordingly put out signs advising
visitors and staff of possible hazards and began documenting potential spill
impacts on park resources. All appropriate parties were notified. No
further details are currently available. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 6/12]
93-356 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Car Clout
Early on the afternoon of May 26th, two visitors discovered that their
motorhome parked on Wharf Street had been burglarized while they were
visiting the Arch. A .22 caliber handgun and over $1,500 in cash,
photography equipment and jewelry were taken. NCIC entries on the stolen
items have been made. Entry was gained by forcing out the passenger side
wing window with some type of crude tool. Evidence found at the scene is
being processed by the St. Louis police crime lab in hopes of linking this
case with several other recent car clouts. A major break in the
investigation occurred during the past week with the identification of two
suspects in another car clouting. The investigation continues. [John
Weddle, CI, JEFF, 6/14]
93-357 - Amistad (Texas) - Drowning
On June 12th, V.R. was operating his 20-foot pontoon boat in the
vicinity of Blackbrush Point when R.R., 56, one of a dozen passengers
on the boat, was pitched overboard and subsequently drowned. Due to gusty
winds up to 25 mph, V.R. was heading into shore when one of the boats
homemade railings fell off, the bow went under water, and a pontoon broke in
half. R.R., who was not wearing a PFD (personal flotation device), fell
into the water along with three other passengers, including a three-month-
old infant. The infant sustained injuries and was hospitalized for water
inhalation and hypothermia. No other injuries or deaths occurred. Most of
the passengers were poor or non-swimmers, few were wearing PFDs, and the
boat operator was inexperienced. Rangers, Border Patrol officers and state
game wardens assisted in the rescue and the recovery of R.R.'s body. Two
other boating accidents occurred on the lake during the same period with no
injuries. Winds of the reported strength occur at least bi-weekly on the
lake. [Rod Danner, AMIS, 6/12]
93-358 - Kennesaw Mountain (Georgia) - Burglary
An alarm sounded at the park visitor center around 1:15 a.m. on June 12th.
Rangers Katherine Collier and Richard Black responded from their park
residences and searched the exterior and interior of the building. They
found that the donation box had been torn apart and that all of the funds
were missing. A trail of money and blood leading from the visitor center
was observed. Ranger Richard Hanks, a Cobb County canine unit, and Marietta
police responded to the scene and a search for the burglar was initiated.
The suspect was apprehended about a third of a mile from the visitor center
around 3:30 a.m. by Hanks and a Cobb County officer. The suspect suffered
severe lacerations to his legs from broken glass when exiting through a
large visitor center plate glass window. He is presently under guard at a
local hospital. Federal and local charges are pending. [Richard Hanks, CR,
KEMO, 6/14]
93-359 - Yosemite (California) - Car Clouts
Rangers in the Wawona District took twelve reports of auto burglaries in the
Wawona campground on June 11th. Items taken included cash, compact discs,
sunglasses and some baggage; left untouched were credit cards, cameras and
other items with serial numbers. The MO matches that employed in auto
burglaries being investigated by several agencies in the Western United
States. If you have questions or information concerning these burglaries,
please contact criminal investigator Jeff Sullivan at Yosemite or special
agent Paul Ducasse at Western Regional Office. [Jeff Sullivan, YOSE, 6/14]
93-360 - Bryce Canyon (Utah) - Assist: Fire
The park's fire department was dispatched to a large vehicle fire just
outside the park's boundary on the afternoon of June 10th. The vehicle, a
$300,000, fully-automated paint striping machine, was found to be fully
involved and blocking the highway. It was determined that the machine
contained 500 gallons of paint and 200 gallons of toluene, so the area was
evacuated. Once the flames retreated, an upwind attack was made with an
additional 1800-gallon tanker. The vehicle, which was owned by the Utah
Department of Transportation, was totally destroyed. [Charlie Peterson, CR,
BRCA, 6/11]
[More pending incident reports tomorrow...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 6/11 6/15 Status
AK State Tanana Zone 332248 6,548 7,148 NEC
AZ BIA Papago * Chuichu #6 - 250 CL
Pima * St. Johns - 225 CND
USFS Tonto * Massacre - 700 CND
State - * Wikieup - 130 CND
FL FWS Okefenokee Gnat Catcher - T1 3,000 5,711 CN 6/18
USFS Apalachicola * New River - 150 NEC
NOTES:
- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report). T1 and T2
indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
NR - No report received MS - Modified suppression strategy
CL - Controlled MN - Being monitored
CS - Confinement strategy NEC - No estimate of containment
CND - Contained CN (date) - Expected date of containment
3) PARK FIRE REPORTS - No significant reports today.
4) ANALYSIS - Fire activity has decreased in Florida and southern
California, but continues in the Southwest. Alaska continues to have
minimal activity; demobilization is continuing on staffed fires.
5) PROGNOSIS - Moderate initial attack activity is anticipated in the South
because of scattered thundershowers in southern Georgia and a slight chance
of thunderstorms in Florida. Minimal initial attack activity is expected in
Alaska with the arrival of cooler temperatures. It should increase in
southern California and the Southwest, however, due to increasing
temperatures and a chance of thunderstorms with dry lightning. Additional
smokejumpers, smokejumper aircraft and air tankers are being sent to the
Southwest.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 6/15]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Henry at aircraft overflight
contract meeting (6/14-6/15); Dickerhoof on AL (6/15-6/18).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Spruill on Death Valley aircraft study (6/15-
6/18).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-4874
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5572
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-6756
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5977
cc:Mail: Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY (numeric message) - 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843
SkyTalk: Emergencies ONLY (voice message) - 1-800-759-8255, PIN 2404843