NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

INCIDENTS

Cuyahoga Valley NP

Five Men Arrested In Plot To Bomb Bridge In Park

On Monday, April 30th, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested five men in connection with a domestic terrorism plot. The intent of the plot was to detonate explosives in attempt to damage the Route 82 bridge within the park. Agents from the FBI contacted National Park Service protection rangers during the course of the investigation and the two agencies worked together to ensure park resources and park visitors were not at risk during the operation. The explosives that the defendants allegedly purchased and attempted to use were inoperable and posed no threat to the public. The suspects were placed under arrest in Garfield Heights after they left the park. At no time were the Brecksville Station or the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad considered targets for the plot. The area around the bridge is popular with fisherman, bird watchers, hikers, and cyclists and every effort was made to ensure that park visitors were never exposed to unnecessary hazards. The National Park Service applauds the work of the FBI and all of the other law enforcement agencies involved in successfully apprehending these suspects. Click on HYPERLINK "http://www.fbi.gov/cleveland/press-releases/2012/five-men-arrested-in- plot-to-bomb-ohio-bridge" this link for an FBI press release with full details. [Mary Pat Doorley, Public Affairs Office, and Chris Ryan, Chief Ranger]

Great Smoky Mountains NP

Investigation Underway Into Armed Robbery

Rangers and special agents are investigating an armed robbery that occurred last Wednesday afternoon on the Foothills Parkway-East. A man and woman, both from Newport, Tennessee, reported that they were sitting in their vehicle at an overlook when they were confronted by two people dressed in dark clothing and wearing ski masks. One of them assaulted the man by spraying him with pepper spray and hitting him on the head with a silver colored handgun. They then took the victim's 2004 maroon Nissan sedan and drove east on the parkway towards I-40. A park employee came across the victims a short while after the attack and reported the incident. Cocke County deputies and rangers responded and recovered the car, which had been abandoned along the parkway. A search of the area, with the assistance of a sheriff's department search dog, resulted in the recovery of clothing articles and other forensic evidence believed to belong to the suspects. The man was taken by ambulance to Newport Medical Center, where he was treated and released. Park investigators do not believe this was a random crime against a park visitor - it appears that the victims may have been specifically targeted. Park officials are asking anyone with information concerning this incident to call park investigators at 828-497-1936. [Bob Miller, Public Affairs Officer]

Lake Mead NRA

Man Sentenced In Sexual Assault Case

On July 7, 2011, Investigative Service Branch special agents were contacted regarding a sexual assault that occurred within the park. They interviewed the victim and two possible witnesses to the crime. The victim said that she was sleeping on the shoreline and awoke to find a man sexually assaulting her. A witness provided agents with an iPhone voice recording secretly taken of the man confessing to the crime after the fact. Based on these interviews as well as physical and digital evidence, the suspect was identified as 31-year-old E.M. of El Salvador. E.M. was subsequently indicted by a grand jury for sexual assault and abusive sexual contact and then arrested by ISB agents with the assistance of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers and Lake Mead rangers. On April 19th, E.M. pled guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact and received a sentence of 24 months in prison, followed by deportation back to El Salvador. [Brian Lake, Special Agent]

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/):

Intermountain Region - Christine Landrum has been named director of the Office of Indian Affairs and American Culture for Intermountain Region.

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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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