|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, July 2, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Kenai Fjords NP Rangers Assist In Armed Confrontation On the afternoon of Thursday, June 28th, rangers Sean Brennan, Sarah Cowell and Rayne Rohrbach responded to an “officer needs assistance” call just outside the park. State troopers, responding to a report of a man with a gun threatening to shoot people in a local trailer park, determined that he was in a motor home along Exit Glacier Road, the primary entry into the park. Many local seasonal workers live along the road in long-term camps established for the entire summer. Based on their knowledge of the area and its residents, the rangers immediately identified the suspect's vehicle from the officer's description and led Seward city police and troopers to its location. As they arrived, a single shot was heard from a the motor home. Rangers immediately set up roadblocks well away from the suspect and maintained them for several hours while state and city officers began negotiations with the suspect, who was believed to have a hostage and who threatened to kill any officer who approached. These roadblocks cut off all traffic into and out of the park, stranding a large number of park visitors and staff for about four hours. The suspect, identified as W.A., ultimately surrendered to troopers after exiting the bus with a loaded handgun. The road into the park reopened at about 6 p.m. [Jim Ireland, Chief Ranger] George Rogers Clark NHP Culprit Arrested In Nose Job On May 25th, a visitor reported discovering damage to a statue of Francis Vigo that is located behind the George Rogers Clark Memorial near the Wabash River. The nose of the statue had been completely broken off and the lip was badly chipped, resulting in a repair estimate of approximately $10,000. The Vincennes Police Department investigated and received information which implicated C.B., a 19-year-old local resident. A search warrant was served at C.B.'s residence on June 28th and culminated in the recovery of the broken nose. C.B. was questioned and is accused of breaking the nose with a metal instrument, removing it from the park, and maintaining it in his possession. C.B. was taken to the Knox County Jail, where he was charged with criminal mischief and theft. He is being held on $6,500 bond pending appearance in Knox Superior Court. [Jackie Henman, Regional Law Enforcement Specialist] Glacier NP Construction Worker Rescued After Fall On the morning of Thursday, June 28th, park staff responded to a report from Federal Highways that an 18-year-old construction worker had fallen down a steep slope while working at a construction site on the Going To The Sun Road. The worker had been pushing a wheelbarrow filled with 65 pounds of steel when the wheel struck a rock and tipped. The worker's legs were struck by the handles, causing him to tumble approximately 45 feet down a steep, rocky slope. NPS responders were able to rescue the man by scrambling down the slope and attaching a safety line to haul him out. An ALERT helicopter from Kalispell Regional Medical Center was able to land near the scene and fly him to a hospital, where he was later reported to be in stable condition. [Ann Marie Chytra, Hudson Bay District Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) 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: National Mall and Memorial Parks - The National Park Service has announced the series of events that will mark this year's edition of the annual Independence Day celebration of our nation's founding. This year's theme is “A Celebration of Liberty.” Redwood N&SP - Pat Grediagin is retiring after nearly 28 years of government service, almost all of that with the NPS. Pat has been at Redwood National and State Parks since 2005, where she has served as the chief ranger. 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 ( Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |