NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

BLACKBERRY EDITION

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

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INCIDENTS

Grand Canyon NP

Aggravated Assault/Attempted Murder

On the night of January 4th, park dispatch received a phone call from a local resident reporting that she had been threatened by her 21-year-old former boyfriend. Rangers had previous contact with the boyfriend a week earlier when he attempted suicide by puncturing a can of hair spray and drinking it as the contents released under pressure. On this occasion, he was reportedly threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, then himself. As rangers were responding, dispatch received a second call from the woman in which she reported that he'd threatened her with a rifle and had shot at her before disappearing into the woods behind the housing unit. In addition to rangers on shift, the park's special response team was activated and containment points were set up. Meanwhile, the woman received another call from her ex-boyfriend in which he said that he knew that rangers were looking for him and that he wouldn't be taken alive. IC Karyl Yeston obtained his cell phone number and called him. At first, the man said that he'd shot himself and was bleeding out, but as Yeston continued talking with him he determined that the man was uninjured. Yeston was able to talk him out the place where he was hiding and get him to come into a well-lit area, where he was arrested at gunpoint without further incident. His semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle was recovered in the woods nearby. He is currently in custody in the Coconino Country Detention Facility pending a detention hearing. [Mike Archer, South Rim District Ranger]

Grand Canyon NP

Assault on Federal Officer

A ranger contacted two out-of-bounds campers - a man and a woman - near Desert View on the morning of January 5th. Drug paraphernalia was seen in plain view, and a handgun and ammunition were found during a search of their vehicle. The woman complained of an injured sternum during detention, so a park ambulance with a paramedic was called to the scene. The woman was belligerent on scene and refused care once medical personnel arrived. The paramedic who looked at her determined that she was incapable of making an informed decision about her care due to her diminished mental capacity, possibly due to drugs. During preparations to transport her in the ambulance, she began spitting on two rangers and kicked, grabbed and scratched a third. She was taken to Flagstaff Medical Clinic, then to the Coconino Country Detention Facility pending a detention hearing for charges of assault on a federal officer. Her partner was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and released. [Mike Archer, South Rim District Ranger]

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Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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