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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, April 11, 2014 INCIDENTS Ozark NSR Missouri Man Convicted Of ARPA Violations In late September 2011, rangers at Ozark opened an investigation into several archeological damage and excavation violations that were occurring in at least three registered archeological sites in close proximity to each other. An NPS special agent and park law enforcement specialist Jodi Towery were assigned to the case. Their investigation led to the determination that the violations were committed by T.C. and R.C. of Van Buren, Missouri. In April 2012, rangers and special agents, with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, executed a search warrant on the C.'s residence. The couple admitted and confessed to knowingly excavating, removing, and transporting archeological resources from NPS lands on several occasions. T.C. identified over 200 artifacts he possessed and secreted at their residence that he had dug, collected, and removed from park lands without permit or authority. The artifacts were seized along with books on archeology, digging tools, and “flipping” sticks used to commit the violations. Material suspected to be marijuana and numerous drug paraphernalia items were seized as contraband. Since T.C. was a convicted felon, seven firearms were also seized from the house. Melissa Baier, a National Park Service archeologist, traveled to the park on three separate occasions to inspect and document the damage at each site. Site damage assessment reports were completed, and the combined cost of restoration and repair and archeological value was reported at $21,751. Through a coordinated multi-year follow-up investigation and proffer, T.C. pled guilty on November 6, 2013 to one count under 16 USC 470, and was sentenced to one year of supervised probation, 100 hours of community service, and $525 in fines and costs. He was also ordered to pay the NPS $3,984 in restitution. The park was assisted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Buffalo NR, the Midwest Archeological Center, the Shawnee Tribe of Miami, Oklahoma, the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, and the US Attorney's Office in Cape Girardeau and St Louis, Missouri. ISB forensics special agents conducted electronic and wire analysis for the investigation. Assistant US Attorney Larry Farrell prosecuted T.C. for the offenses - the first successful ARPA prosecution in the park's 40 year existence. [Investigative Services Branch] 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): Grand Teton NP - An exceptionally heavy and dense snowpack this year, one of the deepest of the last two decades, has made springtime plowing a challenge at Grand Teton National Park. Martin Luther King Jr. NHS - A wreath-laying ceremony was held on Friday, April 4th, to commemorate the life and teachings of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Division - On March 10th, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell previewed a new interactive mobile website being developed by a dynamic group of community partners who are reimagining urban trails in Los Angeles. Independence NHP - On March 30th, a re-enactor portraying suffragist Susan B. Anthony read aloud her Declaration of the Rights of the Women of the United States, commemorating Anthony's reading of the declaration at Independence Square during the nation's centennial in 1876. National Capital Region - Nathan King has been promoted to the role of web coordinator for National Capital Region. He will serve as the point of contact for web authors and help to prepare NCR's digital presence for the NPS centennial. Upcoming Training Calendar - Added to this week's calendar is a swiftwater rescue training course at New River Gorge in June. 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). --- ### --- |