NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT
   
   
   To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
   
   From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
   
   Day/Date:   Tuesday, December 28, 1999
   
   INCIDENTS
   
   99-680 - Biscayne NP (FL) - Follow-up: Boating Fatality
   
   On December 21st, A.R., 24, of Miami, was charged with 
   involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Michael Rosia in 
   a boating accident that occurred in the park over Columbus Day weekend. 
   A.R. was operating a sport fishing boat near Elliott Key Harbor when 
   he collided with an anchored vessel; Rosia, who was in the latter, 
   suffered extensive trauma in the collision, then fell out of his boat and 
   drowned. Results of the blood test on A.R. revealed that he had a 
   blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit for operating a boat. 
   If convicted, A.R. faces up to six years imprisonment, restitution, 
   and a $250,000 fine. [Gary Bremen, PR, BISC, 12/22]
   
   99-695 - San Juan NHS (PR) - Follow-up: Ship Grounding
   
   Removal of the cargo of cement from the 564-foot Russian-flagged freighter 
   Sergo Zakariadze began on the afternoon of December 24th. About 600 tons 
   were transferred to a cargo barge on the first day, which left 
   approximately 10,400 tons to be removed to permit the refloating of the 
   ship. Cement dust was being carried away from park fortifications by 
   winds; cranes were operating at a third of their capacity to minimize the 
   disbursement of dust and fire hoses were in place in case they are needed 
   for an emergency wash down. The fort remains open to visitors, with air 
   quality monitors in place to ensure the safety of visitors and employees. 
   It's estimated that it will take a total of ten to fourteen days to remove 
   all the cement. Operations will continue around the clock, with a Y2K 
   shutdown from 6 p.m. on December 31st to 6 a.m. on January 1st.  [Mark 
   Hardgrove, Deputy Superintendent, SAJU, 12/24]
   
   99-741 - Haleakala NP (HI) - Commercial Use Violation
   
   On Friday, November 26th, rangers caught two men soliciting donations from 
   visitors in exchange for t-shirts. The men appeared to be prepared for a 
   confrontation with law enforcement rangers. They were equipped with 
   two-way radios, copies of the Code of Federal Regulations, typed 
   instructions and the phone numbers of lawyers they said were behind the 
   operation, laminated flyers, and cash receipts. Interpretive rangers 
   caught wind of the scheme when visitors came to the visitor center and 
   reported that the men had told them that their t-shirts helped the park 
   and benefited the trails. They went to the area and talked to the two 
   vendors while reporting the incident to the district ranger. A park 
   maintenance worker reported by radio that he'd spotted their vehicle in 
   the parking lot. One of the men was dispensing receipts at the trailhead; 
   the other was dispensing t-shirts from the back of a white SUV very 
   similar to park patrol vehicles. When contacted by enforcement staff, the 
   men claimed to have a letter from Washington giving them permission to 
   collect donations, but were unable to produce the letter, a permit or any 
   other identification. Their responses also appeared to have been scripted. 
   The shirts and method of operation appear to be a more sophisticated 
   version of similar operations in Kipahulu in 1996, at which time the 
   t-shirt solicitors were removed from the park. They then moved into state 
   and county parks, prompting the state of Hawaii to promulgate regulations 
   based upon the CFR provided to them by Haleakala chief ranger Karen 
   Ardoin, who also testified on behalf of the regulations. [Mark 
   Tanaka-Sanders, DR, HALE, 12/21]
   
   99-742 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Electrocution
   
   Local resident J.Z. was electrocuted by high-tension power lines in 
   the Garden Ground area near park headquarters on November 24th. J.Z. had 
   taken his six-year-old son hunting with him that morning, but instead 
   decided to use his high-powered rifle to shoot down the high tension power 
   lines from the main line servicing the Mt. Hope area. J.Z.'s son said that 
   his father had told him to go up the hill and stay out of the way, then 
   had started shooting at the power lines and insulators with his rifle. A 
   live line came down and either hit J.Z. or the ground near him. The boy 
   went to his father, found him unresponsive, then wandered around in the 
   woods for about an hour until a hunter found him and reported the incident 
   via 911. J.Z. was wearing steel-toed boots at the time; he had an entry 
   wound on the foot and an exit wound on his head. When investigators and 
   rangers searched the area, then found a roll of copper wire about 100 feet 
   long near J.Z.'s body.  At another location along the power line, they 
   found an area where 100 feet of high-tension copper wire had recently been 
   removed. The two wires matched. Copper wire is a common target for 
   thieves, who then sell it to local scrap dealers. Since the incident 
   occurred outside the park's boundary, rangers provided initial response 
   and assistance at the request of the county sheriff.  The investigation 
   continues. [Rick Brown, Operations Unit Leader, NERI, 11/28]
   
   99-743 - Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ) - Body Recovery
   
   On the morning of December 23rd, Pennsylvania state troopers and East 
   Stroudsburg police found the remains of a homicide victim they'd been 
   searching for since November just off River Road in the Pennsylvania 
   District. The body was found about 50 feet inside the tree line east of an 
   agricultural field. Although the remains have not yet been positively 
   identified, all indications are that the victim is a man who was murdered 
   in nearby East Stroudsburg in early November. State and Stroudsburg police 
   are investigating. [Brian McDonnell, PR, DEWA, 12/23]
   
   99-744 - Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - Pursuit and Arrest
   
   On December 28th, ranger Tom Howell saw a vehicle speeding within the 
   Naval Live Oaks Unit in the park's Florida District. Radar indicated that 
   the driver was doing 71 mph in a 45 mph zone. Attempts to stop the Pontiac 
   failed. The vehicle left the park and entered the city of Gulf Breeze, 
   where city police joined in the pursuit. Speeds in excess of 70 mph were 
   reached while crossing Three Mile Bridge into the city of Pensacola. 
   During the pursuit, Howell saw the operator, subsequently identified as 
   J.W., throw items out of the Pontiac's window. J.W. was finally 
   stopped in Pensacola with assistance from Gulf Breeze and Pensacola 
   police. J.W. was arrested for driving under the influence, fleeing to 
   evade arrest, and numerous other traffic violations. He has an extensive 
   criminal history and was in possession of sizable amounts of cash. A 
   narcotics canine alerted on J.W.'s vehicle, but no drugs were found. It's 
   believed that the items thrown from the car may have been narcotics. [CRO, 
   GUIS, 12/22]
   
   99-745 - Organ Pipe Cactus NM (AZ) - Drug Seizures
   
   Rangers concluded a three-day special operation on December 18th. Air and 
   ground observation was provided by the Arizona National Guard; additional 
   assistance was provided by Border Patrol and Customs agents. The operation 
   resulted in the seizure of over 1,100 pounds of marijuana and a 
   recreational vehicle that had been used to smuggle undocumented aliens 
   across the border. [Andrew Artz, PR, ORPI, 12/18]
   
   99-746 - Ozark NSR (MO) - Drowning
   
   On the morning  of December 14th, rangers were advised that 53-year-old 
   R.D. of Salem, Missouri, was missing. The incident was reported by 
   R.S., 29, of Rolla, Missouri, and T.L., 37, also from 
   Salem. According to R.S. and T.L., the three men were attempting to 
   cross the Current River at Banks Ford on the evening of the 13th when the 
   vehicle began to float and head downstream. All three got out through 
   windows. R.S. (the driver) and T.L. made it to shore, but R.D. did 
   not. They looked for him through the night and again at daylight, but 
   without luck. They then contacted the park for assistance. Ranger Bill 
   McKinney recovered R.D.'s body several yards downstream from the place 
   where the incident occurred late on the morning of the 14th. Rangers and 
   state and local authorities are investigating. [Chris Ward, OZAR, 12/16]
   
   99-747 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Sexual Assault Conviction
   
   On August 27, 1998, AMFAC concession employee R.T. was on a date 
   with another AMFAC employee. During the course of the evening, R.T. 
   forced the woman to have intercourse with him, then apologized to her and 
   allowed her to leave. The woman then reported the rape to rangers, who 
   investigated. R.T. was indicted by a federal grand jury for aggravated 
   sexual abuse. On August 3rd, R.T. pled guilty in federal district court 
   to abusive sexual contact (18 USC 2244(a)(2)), a class C felony. R.T. 
   was remanded to prison for 10 months, which will be followed by a year's 
   supervised probation. He must also register as a sex offender in any state 
   in which he resides or holds a job. [North Rim, GRCA, 12/2]
   
   99-748 - Big Bend NP (TX) - Drug Seizures and Arrests
   
   Between November 30th and December 9th, rangers made three significant 
   drug cases. On the 30th, rangers and Border Patrol agents stopped a 
   vehicle coming into the park from Mexico that was found to contain about 
   six pounds of marijuana. Investigation and interrogation of the driver 
   revealed that he'd originally planned to transport 400 pounds of marijuana 
   into the country, but that his vehicle proved to be too small. The driver, 
   a resident of Austin, Texas, was arrested and charged with possession of a 
   controlled substance with intent to distribute (less than 100 kilograms). 
   Based on his confession, he was also charged with conspiracy to distribute 
   a controlled substance (more than 100 kilograms). During the early morning 
   hours of December 2nd, district ranger Cary Brown saw a suspicious vehicle 
   in the park and stopped it. It was occupied by a man, woman and 
   three-year-old child. Brown conducted a consent search and found a hidden 
   compartment in the bed of the truck which contained 52 packages of 
   marijuana that together weighed almost 200 pounds. The adults were 
   arrested and turned over to DEA; the child was remanded to appropriate 
   state authorities. On the 9th, Brown made a routine traffic stop on a park 
   road. He became suspicious of the driver's story, checked with Customs, 
   and found that the vehicle had entered Mexico a few days previously. The 
   driver, a resident of Nevada, consented to a search of the pickup. Brown 
   found ten large packages of marijuana, also totaling about 200 pounds, 
   concealed in the bed of the pickup and behind the seat. The driver was 
   arrested and turned over to the DEA task force for prosecution. [Bill 
   Wright, BIBE, 12/14]
   
   RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION
   
   No submissions.
   
   OPERATIONAL NOTES
   
   No submissions.
   
   MEMORANDA
   
   No submissions.
   
   INTERCHANGE
   
   No submissions.
   
   PARKS AND PEOPLE
   
   No submissions.
   
                                *  *  *  *  *
   
   Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by 
   park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address 
   requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your servicing hub 
   coordinator.  The Morning Report is also available on the web at 
   http://www.nps.gov/morningreport
   
   Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation 
   and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
   
                                 --- ### ---