NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, August 17, 2012

INCIDENTS

Yosemite NP

Boy Drowns In Merced River, Search Underway For Second Boy

A ten-year-old boy was pronounced dead and a six-year-old boy remains missing following an incident near the Vernal Fall Footbridge on Thursday. Members of a family group from southern California were in the Merced River near the Vernal Fall Footbridge yesterday afternoon around 3:00 p.m. They had begun their hike at the Happy Isles Trailhead and had hiked approximately one mile when they stopped at the footbridge. They were in the river when the two boys were swept away by the current. The ten-year-old was pulled from the Merced about 150 yards downriver; CPR was begun by a park visitor and continued by rangers. Their efforts proved unsuccessful, though, and the boy was pronounced dead. A search was begun for the six-year-old and continue at this time. The Mist Trail remains open during search and rescue operations. Portions of the trail may close throughout the day to accommodate search and rescue operations. [Kari Cobb, Public Affairs Officer]

Lake Mead NRA

Man Arrested For Sexual Abuse Of Minors

On June 27th, special agents from the Investigative Services Branch served a felony arrest and search warrant on a 60-year-old Pennsylvania man, a former concession employee at Lake Mead who'd been indicted on eight felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. The indictment stemmed from a six-month-long investigation by agents. The man had sexually abused three victims, all 12 years old or younger, over a five-year period while working and living in the park. He was arrested without incident and transported to a federal holding facility in Philadelphia, and later transported by the US Marshals Service back to Las Vegas, where he was detained until trial. Assisting with the warrant service were rangers from Independence and Valley Forge and troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police. [Brian Lake, Special Agent, ISB West]

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/):

Grand Teton NP - Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood gave a rousing and energetic address as the keynote speaker for an America's Great Outdoors (AGO) celebration event in Grand Teton National Park last week.

Department of the Interior - Secretary Salazar has directed that flags at all Department of the Interior facilities be lowered to half staff today in memory of a firefighter who lost her life while fighting a wildland fire this past Sunday.

Centennial Office - The Centennial Office has announced the selection of the members of the Youth Leadership Team and the Centennial Working Group, both of which will serve as advisors and internal focus groups to the Centennial Office in preparing for the National Park Service 100th birthday in 2016.

Office of Communications - The Service has awarded more than $1.3 million in grants to help with land acquisition at four Civil War battlefields - two in North Carolina and two in Virginia.

Great Smoky Mountains NP - Dana Soehn has been selected as the park's new management assistant. She will be filling the position vacated by Bob Miller, who retired earlier this summer.

Southeast Region - Lieutenant (JG) Jessica Sharpe has reported for duty as Southeast Region's regional public health consultant. 

Servicewide Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training. Added to this week's listing are the following - four new or revised FLETC offerings and a Servicewide webinar on dealing with bats in buildings.

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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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