NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

INCIDENTS

Pacific West Region

Major ARPA Case Concludes With Second Sentencing

An ARPA search warrant was served on a residence in the Sacramento area in California in March 20007 by agents from the NPS and FWS and rangers from the NPS and Sacramento County Parks. The residents were believed to have taken artifacts from NPS, USFS, FWS and Sacramento County Park lands. Interviews resulted in admissions that the residents went to northwestern Nevada on two occasions (2003 and 2006) and collected artifacts from BLM land. The residents knew this activity was illegal and these artifacts were recovered at their home. The suspects also admitted removing artifacts from other publicly owned lands. Searchers found and seized computers, GPS units, maps, photographs showing the residents searching for and collecting artifacts, and other documentary evidence. Officers also discovered approximately 38,000 artifacts on the property and in the vehicles associated with the property. These artifacts included beads and other burial objects, such as abalone breastplates and pendants, projectile points, mortars, pestles, metates, and stone tools. About 100 evidence lots were seized that included roughly 500 artifacts that may have come from federal lands. In June of 2008, damage assessment field work was conducted at the looted site in northwestern Nevada. This resulted in the documentation of over $15,000 in damage. Two of the residents, a father and adult son, were indicted in October 2008 on four felony counts including ARPA, conspiracy, and theft. In July 2010, after extensive negotiations, the father agreed to surrender approximately 30,000 nonfederal artifacts to the California Native American Heritage Commission. These artifacts, predominantly burial goods, were then returned to the appropriate tribes by the commission. In July 2011, the father was sentenced to three years probation, including six months home detention as a condition of his probation, a $3,600 fine, and $100 special penalty assessment based on his one count felony ARPA conviction. In October 2011, following a three hour sentencing hearing that included testimony by a BLM archaeologist and Native American tribal representatives, the adult son was sentenced to 30 days in prison, three months home detention and one year of supervised release for his one count misdemeanor ARPA conviction. [Todd Swain, Special Agent, ISB West]

Redwood N&SP

Convicted Felon Who Threatened Rangers Arrested

On the night of July 27th, NPS and state rangers made a vehicle stop on a car driven by a 34-year-old man in the Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park portion of the combined national and state parks. The stop was for a motor vehicle code violation but led to the discovery of a loaded .22 caliber rifle in the man's possession. The man was found to be a convicted felon, with three separate convictions - two of them crimes of violence against law enforcement officers. He was arrested and booked on state charges of being a convicted violent felon in possession of a firearm, child endangerment, criminal threats, and possession of marijuana. During the course of the arrest, he repeatedly threatened the rangers with future retaliation, physical violence, and rape of the rangers' spouses. The case was taken to the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) for consultation. BATF approved a federal arrest warrant for the man and a federal search warrant for his house. Due to his criminal history, his behavior during the July 27th arrest, and the anticipated complexities associated with warrant service at his densely populated residence, the warrant service was considered high risk. On the morning of October 26th, eleven BATF agents, six Redwood NPS rangers, a state ranger, and two Del Norte County Sheriffs deputies served the warrants at the man's residence in Crescent City. He was taken into custody without incident and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm (18 USC 922 (g)(1)). The search warrant was also served without incident, resulting in a secondary county sheriff's office investigation into significant amounts of processed and unprocessed marijuana found on the premises. The entire operation proved to be an excellent example of effective multi-agency law enforcement cooperation and execution. [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/):

Statue of Liberty NM - The Statue of Liberty is officially known as “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Last Friday, on the 125th anniversary of its dedication, the statue got a more modern take on her name - “Liberty Enlightening the World Wide Web ” thanks to a series of new web cams placed around her torch.

Big Bend NP - On October 24th, Secretary Salazar and Mexican Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada announced a working plan that identifies the next steps for the continued coordination between the two countries in the protection and preservation of the transnational Big Bend/Rio Bravo region. Photo.

Office of Communications - The memorial service for Director Kennedy will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Information is provided on the approved uniform for the service.

Great Smoky Mountains NP - The leaders of the park's two primary partner organizations were recently presented with the Department of Interior Citizen's Award for Exceptional Service. Photo.

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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced with the support of the Office of the Assistant Director for Information Resources and 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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