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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, May 15, 2012 INCIDENTS Blue Ridge Parkway Fleeing Naked Man Apprehended Near Love Gap On the morning of May 1st, a suspect fleeing from the Virginia State Police for a speeding violation entered the park in the Love Gap area. Shortly after coming onto the parkway, he lost control of his vehicle, resulting in the vehicle flipping onto its roof and catching fire. He then got out and fled into the woods. Rangers responded and assisted county and state law enforcement agencies in tracking him down. A canine tracking team quickly discovered his discarded pants. Ground-based teams and Virginia State Police helicopters continued to search for him until he was apprehended. At the time of his arrest, the 24-year-old man was naked and suffering from multiple lacerations as a result of fleeing through the wooded terrain. This is the second incident in a recent epidemic of HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type= Incidents&id=6144" naked men attempting to elude law enforcement in the area. [Kurt Speers, Ridge District Ranger] Lowell NHP Ranger, Officer Intervene In Attempted Bank Robbery Ranger Seth Toensing was conducting law enforcement operations in downtown Lowell on the afternoon of May 5th when he saw a man matching the description of a suspect in a bank robbery that had occurred earlier in the day. Toensing saw him walk into the Sovereign Bank at the corner of Merrimack and Palmer Streets; as he continued to watch the man from outside the bank, Lowell PD was dispatching officers to the same bank in response to a panic alarm. Toensing radioed them and advised that he was at the bank, watching the suspect. After backup officers arrived, Toensing and a Lowell PD lieutenant entered the bank and ordered the man to get on the ground at gunpoint. He was not cooperative at first, but was taken into custody after a brief struggle. The investigation is ongoing, but preliminary investigation revealed that the man had prior convictions for bank robberies. [Matt Collins, 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/): Yosemite NP - The majesty of Yosemite Falls, North America's highest waterfall, can now be viewed on Yosemite Conservancy's website thanks to a new webcam. Links are also provided to existing webcams for Half Dome, El Capitan and the High Sierra. The White House - President Obama has directed that all flags be lowered to half staff today in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week. Centennial Office - The National Park Service Centennial Office is seeking candidates to serve on the national Centennial Working Group and the Youth Leadership Team - both to assist in selecting strategic partnerships and initiatives for our centennial. Wind Cave NP - Rick Mossman, chief ranger at Wind Cave National Park, has retired after 35 years of federal service. A celebration of his career will be held in his honor on Saturday, May 26th. North Cascades NP - Stehekin District Ranger Bill Fitzpatrick retired from the National Park Service on April 30th after 34 years of federal service. A celebration of his career will take place on June 16th in Stehekin, Washington. * * * * 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). --- ### --- |