NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

INCIDENTS

Kalaupapa NHP

Kalaupapa Resident Arrested On Drug Charges

One of the Hansen's disease patients still living in the settlement at Kalaupapa National Historical Park on the island of Molokai is facing federal drug charges after allegedly trying to ship crystal methamphetamine to the remote Kalaupapa peninsula. DEA agents stopped the man at the Honolulu airport last November and found 4.6 grams of methamphetamine in a box he was planning to take back to Kalaupapa. He was not arrested at the time, but was placed under surveillance. On February 26th, he tried to ship another box containing 18 grams of methamphetamine to the Kalaupapa settlement, but the package was intercepted by agents. The man has been released on a $25,000 bond while awaiting trial on charges of possession with the intent to distribute. There was widespread media coverage of this criminal case throughout Hawaii. Kalaupapa National Historical Park was spotlighted on national television last October due to the canonization ceremonies for Father Damien de Veuster, the Belgian born Catholic priest who contracted Hansen's disease and died at Kalaupapa in 1889 while ministering to patients there. The suspect was prominently featured in news coverage of the group of Kalaupapa residents who traveled to Rome in October for the canonization of Father Damien. The investigation is on-going. [Amy H. Sakurada, Protection Ranger]

Whiskeytown NRA

Successful Prosecution Of Felon In Possession of Firearm

While checking a pickup parked near a visitor center in Whiskeytown NRA one night during the summer of 2007, field trainee Charles Mayer and field training ranger Mike Fakier saw a man and women in the front seat who appeared to be sleeping. The vehicle did not have a required day use permit. Mayer spoke with the driver, L.R., who said that he did not have any identification, then made furtive hand movements toward a fanny pack near his waist. L.R. was asked to get out of the truck and was patted down for weapons. A marijuana pipe was immediately recognized in the center console area of the truck. L.R. was detained and current park field training ranger Betsy Smith arrived to provide backup. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded .357 magnum handgun and drug residue and paraphernalia on the driver's side floorboard. A dispatch records check revealed that L.R. had a prior felony conviction for marijuana cultivation. He was arrested and transported to jail in Redding, California. NPS special agent Alan Foster, FBI special agent Michael Skeen and the US Attorney's Office in Sacramento assisted in the investigation, which culminated with the successful prosecution of L.R. on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm (18 USC 922(g)). L.R. was recently sentenced in federal court to five months incarceration followed by five months home confinement and three years supervised probation. [Jim Richardson, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

WASO Public Affairs - Director Jarvis testified yesterday on the 2011 budget before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. Highlights of the budget and his testimony are presented in a summary of the hearing.

State and Local Assistance Programs - The National Park Service has released the 2009 annual report for the Land and Water Conservation Fund state assistance program.

Department of the Interior - Secretary Salazar has sent a memorandum out to all DOI employees encouraging them to participate in the U.S. census being conducted this year.

To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter):

NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index

Non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/

NPS serious incident submission standards can be found at the following web site: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/notify" http://inside.nps.gov/notify

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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. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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