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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, April 10, 2014 INCIDENTS Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP Park Employee Convicted Of Embezzlement On February 4th, park administrative assistant S."M."A. pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by deception in the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Between March, 2010, and April, 2013, S.A. knowingly purchased property or services in excess of $1,000 for her personal use with her government-issued credit card. The purchases were typically small and the items purchased were added to larger park-approved purchases. They included energy drinks, crafting paper, Halloween candy, memberships, etc. Some of the purchases were larger and/or more recognizable, such as tobacco products, milk, diapers and rental equipment. It is possible that hundreds of these types of purchases may have been made, but it wasn't possible to determine the actual amount because approximately 75% of the receipts were missing. Restitution in the amount of $2,500 was agreed to in court. It's believed that S.A. deprived the National Park Service of up to $5,000 worth of property over the period in question. S.A. also admitted to additional embezzlements, starting in 2007, but evidence was lacking or missing to pursue those illegal purchases. The court approved S.A. for an intervention in lieu of prosecution program. She must admit her guilt in court, pay restitution, and adhere to probation conditions for one year or the felony conviction will be fully implemented. Special Agent Chris Schrader and Chief Ranger Rick Perkins investigated. [Rick Perkins, Chief Ranger] Joshua Tree NP Two Motorcyclists Killed In Head-On Collision Rangers responded to a report of a head-on collision between two motorcycles near the park's west entrance on the afternoon of April 6th. While the rangers were en route to the accident, three volunteer park SAR team members reached the scene. They advised that one of the motorcyclists had died and that the other had been critically injured. Investigation revealed that a 27-year-old man who was probably driving his motorcycle at high speed lost control of it, crossed the center line on a corner, and hit the second motorcycle head-on, killing its operator, a woman from British Columbia in her early 60s. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was flown to Desert Regional Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. California Highway Patrol officers are leading the investigation, which is ongoing. The main park road was closed for approximately three hours. [Jennifer Albrinck] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers): National Mall and Memorial Parks - The National Mall and Memorial Parks yesterday held a ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Marian Anderson's historic 1939 Easter Sunday concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Victim Assistance Program Office - This week, the National Park Service is joining with the Office for Victims of Crime and the Department of Justice in recognizing National Crime Victim's Rights Week. Lake Mead NRA - Approximately 60 volunteers donated a total of 290 hours last month to clean up three locations in the greater Willow Beach area at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. US Park Police - Officer April Ramos from the San Francisco Field Office has been recognized by the California Office of Traffic Safety and Mothers Against Drunk Driving for her DUI enforcement efforts in 2013. To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites: NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/ The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov). --- ### --- |