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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, April 19, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Jean Lafitte NHP&P Crime Spree Includes Homicide In Barataria Unit During the early morning hours of Friday, April 6th, a passerby in the park's Barataria Unit came upon a young man who appeared to be dead next to a sign near the Kenta Canal picnic area. Arriving rangers and officers determined that the boy, identified as J.W., 14, of Marrero, Louisiana, had been killed at that location by a shotgun blast to the head earlier that morning. Other serious crimes also occurred in and around the general New Orleans Westbank area at that time. Several people reported being shot at by a man who had attempted to rob them at gunpoint; one had been shot with a shotgun when he told the man that he had no money. At about the same time, another man was killed during a home invasion and a woman was sexually assaulted. Investigation revealed that all the crimes were connected and evidence indicated that they'd been committed by 21-year-old New Orleans resident T.“B.”N. Media interest in the crime spree was very high and a caller subsequently notified police that T.N. had headed to Arizona. Officers there took him into custody. He will be brought back to Louisiana to face numerous charges, including home invasion, armed robbery, and two counts of homicide. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, New Orleans Police Department, and the National Park Service are all actively involved in this multi-jurisdictional investigation. [John K. Hughes, Chief Ranger] Great Smoky Mountains NP Fatal Accident On U.S. 441 Rangers responded to a single-vehicle accident on U.S. 441 on the afternoon of April 15th. T.F., 45, of Gatlinburg was heading north on the road when his 2005 Dodge Caravan left the road just north of the tunnel and struck a guardrail on the left side of the road in the turn lane for the Flat Branch Road exit. The Caravan sustained only minor damage, but enough to make it necessary for Gatlinburg EMS personnel to break into the vehicle to reach T.F. He was taken by ambulance to the Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Given the very minor damage to the vehicle, rangers are investigating the possibility that a medical condition may have caused the accident and his death. The county medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to make that determination. [Bob Miller, Management Assistant] OTHER NEWS The following stories can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: Petersburg NB - The historic sycamore tree which provided shade to General Grant's headquarters during the siege of Petersburg has come to the end of its long life. On April 10th, the old tree was removed - but an offshoot of the tree is growing in its place. National Center for Recreation and Conservation - The Service has reached a tentative agreement with Georgia Power concerning the relicensing of the Morgan Falls hydroelectric project within the Chattahoochee River NRA. In return, Georgia Power has agreed to offset some of the continuing environmental impacts to the park that are implicit with hydropower generation. Archeology Program - Director Bomar recently met briefly with NPS archeologists participating in a Servicewide meeting at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The meeting focused on a range of archeological resource management issues. Arches NP - Southeast Utah Group and Arches National Park employees are rallying around ranger Gary Salamacha, who has recently undergone surgery for stomach cancer. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |