NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, August 31, 2007

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INCIDENTS

Whiskeytown NRA

Grower Arrested In Marijuana Plantation Raid

Acting on information received from a California National Guard drug interdiction helicopter pilot returning from a reconnaissance flight in an adjoining county, an NPS special agent and deputies from the Shasta County Sheriffs Office marijuana eradication team conducted a ground reconnaissance of a suspected cultivation site complex operated by Mexican nationals near the west boundary of the park on Willow Creek. Agents located and entered a 6,428-plant cultivation site and apprehended F.H.S. of Michoacan, Mexico, when he exited a living structure where he was cooking breakfast. F.H.S. was contacted from a distance of less than six feet and immediately surrendered. He was armed with a loaded .45 caliber Llama Model 1911 semiautomatic pistol. A .22 caliber revolver, a pellet gun and two 12 gauge shotgun rounds were also located at the site, but no shotgun was found. It's possible that a second grower fled the scene during the arrest of F.H.S. Prosecution is pending in federal court in the Eastern District of California. A significant portion of Whiskeytown NRA remains closed for visitor safety due to the possibility that a second grower armed with a shotgun is at large. [Alan Foster, Special Agent]

Acadia NP

Bus Runs Off Park Road

An Oli's Trolley bus which was not carrying any passengers at the time struck a coping stone and a tree near Bubble Pond around 9:30 p.m. on August 25th and went off Jordan Pond Road, coming to rest on several large coping stones and listing to its right over a steep embankment. The right front end of the bus came to rest down the embankment against several trees, with the rear end of the bus suspended up in the air. A dozen large coping stones were struck and moved by the bus before it left the roadway. The bus driver sustained only superficial injuries, but was unable to exit the bus due to vehicle damage and debris blocking the exit. The driver said that the bus had been experiencing front end problems and had been drifting from side to side prior to the accident (this is still under investigation). The bus apparently caught a coping stone, causing it to leave the roadway. Rangers provided medical attention and traffic control until a local fire department was able to extricate the driver. The accident resulted in only a small fuel leak, but the involved section of road was closed for the remainder of the evening due to difficulties in removing the bus and its proximity to the road. It was safely removed the next day. [Dave Buccello, Chief Ranger]

Bryce Canyon NP

Two Convicted Of Car Clout In Park

On April 27th, a visitor's vehicle was burglarized at Fairyland Point. The two thieves - later identified as C.M. and A.M. - broke the driver's side window with a rock and stole $5,000 worth of equipment, including two passports, a credit card, and a driver's license. The M.s, who were driving a stolen vehicle, were captured on video using the stolen credit card at Zion National Park's east entrance. Ranger Tim Sveum worked with Zion rangers to retrieve the video, which aided in the prosecution of the M.s. The couple had fled Tennessee in a stolen vehicle, knowing that they were not going to pass mandatory drug tests to meet parole and probation conditions. They stole two more vehicles in Las Vegas before being arrested in Wyoming during a traffic stop. After being charged in Wyoming, they waived extradition and were brought to Garfield County, where they were convicted of third degree felony burglary. Although the passports were returned, the M.s said they'd sold the other stolen property to buy crack cocaine. Sveum also worked with Kane County prosecutors to obtain a conviction for three counts of credit card fraud. Each of the M.s was sentenced to five years in prison. [David Fox, Ranger Operations Supervisor]

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP

Car Clout Arrest

On August 16th, rangers and an NPS special agent served an arrest warrant on a man charged with breaking and entering into numerous vehicles over the past year and a half. The MO was basically the same on all of the car clouts. He'd see a wallet or purse in plain view, smash the vehicle's window, take only the purse or wallet and remove only the cash. The entire ranger staff can be credited with investigating and building the case against the man. Positive identification was made when rangers Regina Carrico and Tad Pultorak made an investigative stop on the man, who was seen in the area following the most recent break-in. This and other observations made it possible to obtain the arrest warrant and a search warrant for his vehicle and residence, which led to the acquisition of additional evidence. A court date has not yet been set. [Keith Kelly, 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 are, respectively, HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ and ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/).

* Hawaii Volcanoes - Ka Ho‘ola‘a o Na Ali‘i, the ceremony of investiture for Hawai‘i's Royal Court, took place last Saturday at the summit of Kilauea volcano. The annual event marks the beginning of Aloha Festivals, a six island celebration of music, dance, and history intended to preserve Hawaiian culture.

* WASO - All National Park Service sites will offer free visitor admission on September 29th for National Public Lands Day.

* History - Dr. Robert Sutton has been named the chief historian for the National Park Service. He is currently superintendent at Manassas NBP.

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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).

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