NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

INCIDENTS

Grand Canyon NP

Man Convicted Of Abusing Grandchildren During Hike

On August 28, 2011, rangers responded to the Bright Angel Trailhead to contact a man hiking with three children. Upon making contact with the party, the children informed rangers that their grandfather, C.C., had been depriving them of food and water and physically and verbally abusing them along the hike. Rangers learned that C.C. had taken his three grandchildren to the Colorado River and back that day, a 20-mile hike. Recorded temperatures in the shade reached 107 degrees. Rangers requested the assistance of special agents with the Investigative Services Branch. A cooperative investigation between ISB and rangers was begun and C.C. was arrested. ISB continued the investigation, working collaboratively with rangers and the United States Attorney's Office. A trial spanning three weeks began on February 15th in the US District Court in Phoenix. On Wednesday, February 29th, the jury found Christopher C.C. guilty of three counts of felony child abuse. C.C. remains in federal custody awaiting sentencing in June. [Investigative Services Branch]

Yellowstone NP

Investigation Leads To Child Porn Conviction

A joint investigation by several law enforcement agencies, including the National Park Service, has resulted in the arrest and conviction of a man for possession of child pornography. In 2010, the Division of Criminal Investigation of the Montana Department of Justice began looking into an individual who was downloading child pornography. That led them to 57-year-old J.H.D., a concession employee who worked in the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone National Park and in Grand Canyon National Park. The subsequent joint investigation by Montana authorities, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service led to J.H.D.'s arrest at Old Faithful in October 2011. The forensic analysis of J.H.D.'s computers revealed he was in possession of hundreds of images of child pornography that included images of children engaged in sadistic or masochistic abuse or other depictions of violence. J.H.D. was tried and convicted on federal charges of possession of child pornography. On March 15th, he was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming to ten years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. [Public Affairs, Yellowstone NP]

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/):

Office of International Affairs - UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova made stops at Independence and Everglades this month as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the World Heritage Convention, the international treaty that recognizes natural and cultural heritage sites of global significance and promotes international cooperation to help protect them.

De Soto NM - Members of the park's Youth Advisory Council took a trip this month to Washington, D.C., meeting with senior managers and touring the capital. Made up of high school students from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds, the council acts as a consulting partner in De Soto's daily operations.

Glen Canyon NRA - A photovoltaic workshop was held in the park in February. Glen Canyon has several photovoltaic systems, making it an ideal location for this type of workshop.

Denali NP&P - A recent New York Times article explores the intrusion of human-caused sound in natural spaces through an experience at Denali this winter. A link is provided to the text.

Natchez Trace Parkway - Sarah Davis, currently chief of the Branch of Law Enforcement Operations in Washington, has been selected as the chief ranger for Natchez Trace Parkway, replacing Mike Foster, who retired in January.

Steamtown NHS - Suzanne Rozdilski, a ranger at Steamtown NHS, will retire with almost 20 years of federal service on April 30th.

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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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