|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, August 14, 2014 INCIDENTS Gettysburg NMP Man Arrested On Assault Charges On the evening of August 8th, Adams County emergency dispatch contacted rangers and reported a domestic incident at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial within the park. Rangers Maria Brady and Jon Ludwick responded and met with the woman who'd made the report. She said that her son, a minor, was injured as a result of her ex-boyfriend, G.D., pulling him from their vehicle, scratching him in the process. G.D., who was reportedly carrying a buck knife, an axe and several cans of beer in his backpack, left the scene on foot. While rangers met with the woman, local officers began searching for him. G.D. actively evaded state and local police units and rangers. During this time, he was also texting threatening messages to his ex-girlfriend, saying that he was going to kill her. Local officers called in a Maryland State Police helicopter to assist in the search. While the search was underway, G.D. is believed to have set approximately 260 bales of hay on fire in the park. The bales, which belonged to a agricultural lease permittee, were valued at $28,000. The search was called off after dark, but local police units subsequently spotted G.D. on the Gettysburg College campus and took him into custody. He was turned over to rangers, who then transported him to the Adams County prison. G.D. appeared in federal court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg on Monday, August 11th. He was charged with simple assault, malicious mischief, threats via interstate commerce, and violating the superintendent's closure prohibiting consumption of alcohol in the park. [Ryan P. Levins, Chief Ranger] Lake Mead NRA Visitor Drowns In Paiute Cove On Lake Mohave The body of a 79-year-old California man was recovered from the waters of Lake Mohave near Paiute Cove on August 10th. The park received a call that afternoon reporting that the man went into the water, began to struggle, and disappeared underwater. Rangers, Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens and Bullhead City Fire Department divers responded and recovered his body. The Clark County medical examiner will confirm the victim's identity and determine the cause of death. Witnesses reported that the man was not wearing a life jacket. The incident is under investigation. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer] 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): Office of Communications - On August 11th, Director Jarvis joined several dignitaries in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports local conservation, outdoor recreation and clean water projects across the country. Today's Almanac - Flash flood watches and warnings have been posted for areas in Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. [Internal only] Office of Risk Management - The winners of the highest awards bestowed by the National Park Service for outstanding public and employee safety achievement for the individual and group categories for 2013 have been selected. Scotts Bluff NM - A researcher recently found three fragments of a Hotchkiss cannon shell in a small canyon at the base of South Bluff. Archeologists will examine the site this fall to see what else can be found there. Learning and Development Division - A new personal security training course is being developed for National Park Service employees. The curriculum is currently being tested and evaluated prior to a full Servicewide rollout. Santa Monica Mountains NRA - John Colter Chisum has been selected as the new chief of facilities management for Santa Monica Mountains. For the past six years, Chisum has served as the branch chief for design and engineering at Yosemite. 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). --- ### --- |