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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, August 7, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Yosemite NP Search For Missing Woman Scaled Back The search for an 80-year-old woman who's been missing since July 30th has been scaled back. O.B. of Schererville, Indiana, was part of a small group hiking in the Yosemite wilderness and staying at the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp. They were hiking to Ireland Lake when she decided to return to the camp to retrieve some food. She failed to rejoin the group. At its peak this past weekend, nearly 150 people from the NPS and numerous county and state teams participated in the search. Yesterday, the search was scaled back to SAR and ranger staff only, pending discovery of any further clues. Protection staff were involved in a number of other operations during the O.B. SAR, including a helicopter evacuation from Half Dome, a medical assist at May Lake for a cardiac arrest, two serious ankle injuries, a helicopter evacuation from Vogelsang High Sierra Camp for abdominal pain, three lost persons (all of whom self-recovered with ranger assistance), and a short-haul operation for an injured backpacker near Pate Valley. SAR staff also responded to a personal locator beacon (PLB) which activated while the owner was miles from the park, safely in his vehicle. Approximately 10 staff members hiked into a remote area near Yosemite Creek drainage after dark to respond to the beacon. With the exception of the Half Dome evacuation, all of the incidents were handled by the same subdistrict as the major SAR. [Adrienne Freeman, Public Affairs Specialist] Badlands NP Pursuit And Arrest Of Intoxicated Driver Ranger Tucker Amiotte came upon a vehicle swerving badly between lanes as it headed north on Bombing Range Road on July 21st. When Amiotte stopped it, the driver - later identified as D.A. - got out and began walking towards him. Amiotte ordered D.A. to return to his vehicle and stay there until he could speak with him. He did so, then accelerated back onto the road, made a U-turn, and headed towards the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Amiotte pursued while calling for assistance from tribal police officers. The pursuit continued for another 18 miles until D.A. came to a spot where tribal officers had placed road spikes on the highway. One of the officers tried to stop him before he reached the spikes, only to have D.A. aim his vehicle directly at him. D.A. continued towards the officer, who was armed with a shotgun, and only veered away at the last moment. D.A. then drove over the spikes. The vehicle, its tires pierced, came to rest in a ditch alongside the road. Officers and rangers arrested him without further incident. Narcotics were found in the car following the arrest. D.A. was charged with reckless driving, DUI, attempting to flee and elude police, and possession of narcotics. Investigation indicates that narcotics were a contributing factor in the incident. [Mark Gorman, Chief Ranger] Wind Cave NP DUI Suspected In Fatal Accident On the evening of Sunday, July 29th, the park received a 911 complaint regarding an erratic driver. A ranger located the vehicle, saw that it was being operated in an unsafe manner, and attempted to stop it using lights and siren. The operator refused to comply and continued driving at the speed limit. The ranger followed the vehicle outside the park, where a sheriff's deputy unsuccessfully deployed spike strips in an effort to stop it. The vehicle left the roadway a short time later and struck a tree. The operator succumbed to injuries at the scene. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor. [Rick Mossman, Chief Ranger] Ozark NSR Taser Employed By Ranger In Agency Assist Rangers responded to a request for assistance from the Shannon County Sheriff's Department around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 2nd. A report had been received that a woman had been assaulted in a local campground and there was only one deputy to respond in this remote area. The assailant was reported to have been recently released from prison on a murder charge and was on probation and parole. He was also said to be intoxicated and threatening the lives of other campers. The deputy and three rangers found him asleep in a tent, told him that he was under arrest, and ordered him to place his hands behind his back. The man refused to comply, so the deputy attempted to mace him. This proved only partly successful, and the man became extremely agitated. When a ranger sprayed him in the face with OC pepper foam, he went down to the ground but still refused to comply with the officer's orders. Due to his continued violent behavior, a second ranger employed his taser, firing one shot into the middle of the man's back. The taser completely neutralized him, making it possible go get him under control and handcuffed without further incident. He was charged with alleged public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and assault. The case is being handled by the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office doesn't allow deputies to carry tasers, but were quite happy that rangers had them on this occasion. This was the first time a taser has been used in the park. [Greg Moss, Chief 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: Independence NHP - The park and the city of Philadelphia have temporarily covered the President's House archeological site in order to protect the 18th and 19th century architectural findings from deterioration. A closing event was held on July 31st. Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP - News story: After four months of contentious negotiation, Gunnison Basin water users, a slate of environmental groups and the state have reached an agreement in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park water rights case. Golden Spike NHS - On Saturday, August 4th, Donald L. Schulze, 54, was killed in a single car accident outside of Corinne, Utah. Don was a maintenance worker at the park. 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 support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |