NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

INCIDENTS

Chickasaw NRA

Former Trooper Sentenced In BUI Fatality

A former state trooper has been sentenced following conviction for an incident in which he fatally injured another boater while operating a boat under the influence. On May 5, 2008, retired Oklahoma state trooper B.J. was operating his boat on Lake of the Arbuckles inside the park when he collided with a jet ski, injuring its operator, who later died. B.J.'s blood alcohol level was found to be above the state's legal limit for operating a boat. Many rangers on the park's protection staff have dealt with B.J. over recent years. He was arrested in 2007 for public intoxication after being involved in a domestic at a park beach, and last summer was arrested for driving under the influence by Sulphur PD after their officers stopped him just inside the park. On November 17th, B.J. was sentenced by a federal magistrate to three years' probation and a $2,000 fine. The conditions of probation include (but are not limited to) no firearms and no consumption of alcohol. The government's request that the defendant be banned from the park was denied. The court said that the consumption of alcohol ban should address any problems which might arise with B.J. being in the park. [Randy Scoggins, Field Supervisor]

Redwood N&SP

Car Clouter Sentenced To Four Years In Jail

From July through October, over 50 automobile burglaries occurred at various trailheads throughout the park's North District. Investigation by NPS rangers revealed that one of the victim's credit cards had been used at a local business within minutes after the burglary, and a suspect was captured on video surveillance footage. Collaboration with the local Crescent City Police Department led to the identification of a suspect, J.J.H., who was on non-revocable parole with the California Department of Corrections. Working with the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office drug task force, the investigating ranger participated in a warranted search of J.J.H.'s residence and recovered property that linked him to a number of burglaries that had occurred within the parks. A short time later, NPS and state park rangers made a traffic stop on J.J.H. and discovered burglary tools in his vehicle. The investigating NPS ranger compiled the case information and obtained a state arrest warrant. Although J.J.H. was arrested on this warrant, he was released on recognizance from the county jail pending a future court date. On October 30th, rangers investigated another auto burglary at a park trailhead. Within hours of that burglary, rangers conducted a parole stop and searched J.J.H. He was found to be in possession of additional burglary tools and property stolen during that day's burglary. J.J.H. was arrested and held in the county jail pending his initial appearance. On November 5th, he pled guilty to one count of burglary in state court and will be serving a four year sentence. The tenacious investigative efforts of NPS rangers, working closely with their local law enforcement counterparts, were solely responsible for this successful outcome. [Lorant Veress, North District Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Yellowstone NP - Tomorrow may be Thanksgiving, but it'll be more like Christmas or New Years in Yellowstone due to the arrival of a major winter storm there. Winter storm warnings have been posted for the park and surrounding areas, with a blizzard warning issued for West Yellowstone and Bozeman.

Presidio of San Francisco - The National Japanese American Historical Society joined Golden Gate NRA, the Presidio Trust and the Defense Language Institute of the U.S. Army at the historic Presidio Officers' Club on November 14th to honor Nisei World War II veterans. Photo.

US Park Police - The United States Park Police Explorer Post, reactivated in the fall of 2009, has become an active community partner and an integral part of Park Police operations. An open house is set for next month for those interested in joining. Photo.

Lake Meredith NRA - The Marina at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area will close on January 1st due to low water levels. Photo.

Denver Service Center - Ed Tafoya, branch chief for the Contracting Services Division's Compliance and Data Management Branch, is retiring on December 18th after 32 years of federal service, 28 of those with the NPS. Photo.

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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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