NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, December 16, 2011

INCIDENTS

Cape Hatteras NS

Several Portable Toilets And Enclosures Burned

The Buxton Volunteer Fire Department and rangers were dispatched to structural fires at two separate locations within the park around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, December 13th - the Old Cape Hatteras Lighthouse parking lot and the Buxton Beach parking lot, which are located about 700 feet from each other. The structures on fire were three portable toilets and the wood fence enclosure at the former, and two portable toilets and a wood fence enclosure at the latter. All structures were completely destroyed. The toilets, which were provided and serviced by a contractor, had an estimated value of about $7,500; the enclosures, which were NPS property, were valued at about $1,300. Arson is suspected. No suspects have been identified and the investigation is continuing. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]

New River Gorge NR

Rangers Assist In Takedown Of Stolen Vehicle Ring

On October 17th, a ranger received a tip concerning a possible stolen Featherlite trailer stashed in the Quinnimont area of the park. While investigating the report, he saw a local man driving away with the trailer in tow and recognized him as someone rangers had previously charged with theft offenses in the park. After a short chase that eventually left the park, he was able to stop the man and determine that the trailer was stolen. The man was arrested by state police, charged with theft, released by the court, and restricted to home confinement. Several towns exist within the park's boundaries and the only major thoroughfares in this part of the state pass through the park. Rangers began receiving information from residents of local communities to the effect that the man was involved in the transporting of stolen vehicles, property, weapons and drugs - much of the activity occurring with the park. The rangers passed the information on to state police and federal prosecutors. Investigators assigned to the case asked that rangers remain involved due to the quality and quantity of verified information they were able to provide. While out on home confinement, the man was tracked via his monitoring device and found to be spending a good deal of time traveling back and forth through the park at all hours of the day and night. On November 7th, with the assistance of a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) agent, rangers and state troopers verified a stolen vehicle with an obliterated vehicle identification number dumped in a remote area just outside of the park and linked it to the man. On November 14th, he was arrested for violations of his home confinement. On the following day, rangers, state troopers, and the NICB agent linked two other vehicles and a trailer that had been stolen in the area with the man and connected them with his travels through the park. Based on information provided by an informant, investigators believed there were more stolen vehicles at his brother's residence which were linked to the criminal enterprise. State police conducted a helicopter flyover of the property before Thanksgiving, which revealed a number of vehicles that were consistent in description with stolen vehicle reports and corroborated information gathered from numerous sources. Additional information indicated that there was a stolen vehicle HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_shop" chop shop on the property.

The numerous backcountry roads through the park and ready access to major thoroughfares made this an ideal location for such an operation. On December 5th, rangers and the NICB assisted state police with the execution of a search warrant on the brother's property. The results of that warrant confirmed a dozen stolen trucks and approx 20 others with the VINs obliterated that are believed to be stolen. Also found were a stolen UTV, two stolen ATVs, a stolen tractor, a stolen lawnmower, a stolen trailer, a stolen diesel tank, 63 firearms (several stolen), and evidence of cockfighting. Rangers and state police executed a similar search warrant on the same property in the mid 1990's to recover a John Deere tractor that had been stolen from the park by the same suspects. West Virginia State Police authorities have commended the rangers for their investigative determination, local knowledge, and community interaction, without which the case would not have progressed as quickly or completely as it did. [Jeff West, Chief 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/):

Virgin Islands NP - Trunk Bay Beach, considered one of the ten best beaches in the world and the park's most popular destination, has received the Foundation for Environmental Education's coveted “Blue Flag” designation.

Office of Communications - Director Jarvis this week signed a policy to allow national park superintendents to discontinue the sale of water in disposable plastic bottles.

Midwest Region - Debra Imhoff, regional chief of contracting and property management, will be retiring on December 31st after 35 years of federal service.

Northeast Region - James Woolsey, currently director of interpretation and visitor services for the American Battle Monuments Commission in Paris, France, will take over as superintendent of Springfield Armory in March.

Northeast Region - Jeff Reinbold has been selected as the superintendent of the National Parks of Western Pennsylvania, which include Flight 93, Johnstown Flood, Allegheny Portage, Fort Necessity and Friendship Hill.

Upcoming Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training. Three new structural firefighter training courses have been added to this week's calendar.

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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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