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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, September 18, 2014 INCIDENTS Great Smoky Mountains NP Woman's Assailant Receives Lengthy Jail Term On June 8, 2012, a Gatlinburg woman was walking the park's Gatlinburg Trail when she was abducted, brutally sexually assaulted, and stabbed numerous times in the neck, shoulder and hand. The woman was able to make it to the Gatlinburg Bypass and flag down a visitor for help. Rangers and Gatlinburg EMS responded and found the woman covered in blood. Rangers and ISB agents were able to backtrack the victim's route from the bypass down an embankment, and through the woods to the scene of the attack. After processing the scene and interviewing the victim and numerous potential witnesses, a suspect was identified through a DNA match in February 2013. The DNA, collected from the victim at the time of the incident, matched that of W.S., who was found to be incarcerated in Alabama for charges resulting from possession of a stolen vehicle. ISB agents and an FBI agent interviewed W.S., who subsequently made statements linking him to the June 8th attack. He was charged with attempted murder and aggravated sexual abuse by force in federal court. W.S. pleaded guilty this past April and last month received a sentence of 27 years in prison for his crimes. Successful prosecution of this case was the direct result of the ISB agents' investigative abilities, their ability to work closely with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and the working relationship between agents and rangers at Great Smoky Mountains. [Steve Kloster, Acting Chief Ranger] Haleakala NP Two Paragliders Caught And Cited On Tuesday, August 19th, two paragliders were apprehended in the Summit District of Haleakala National Park. A HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragliding" paraglider had been seen over the crater by both employees and visitors around 10:30 a.m. that morning. Shortly thereafter, additional reports were received of a second paraglider attempting to launch from critical species habitat inside the crater rim. Rangers from both the Summit and Kipahulu Districts responded and began surveillance of the two individuals. The first paraglider, who had since landed in critical species habitat, was hiking out; the second, who had abandoned liftoff attempts, gathered his equipment and hiked back to the parking area. After an hour of surveillance, both men were intercepted at their vehicle as they were loading their equipment. The park activated a multi-disciplinary team to begin assessment of any environmental and resource damages. The two men, both from Italy, expressed surprise that they were in violation of the law. All equipment associated with the incident was seized as evidence, including two handheld radios, two Go-Pro cameras, and a large amount of paragliding gear and instruments. After assessments were completed, it was determined the men had been extremely lucky in not causing damage to endangered species of birds and plants in the areas they disturbed. Violation notices were issued for 36 CFR infractions, including illegal air delivery, preservation of natural resources, and off trail travel. INCLUDEPICTURE "https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET [James P. Mar, Chief Ranger] 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): Yosemite NP - The park last week hosted a multi-day event in which thirteen disabled veterans hiked and climbed several peaks in honor of all veterans and in commemoration of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. This is the second year the event has been held. War of 1812 Bicentennial - The National Park Service welcomed seven park rangers from Parks Canada to the Star Spangled Spectacular commemoration in Baltimore, which took place from September 11th to 15th. Heritage Preservation Assistance Programs - National Heritage Areas preserve and protect historic and cultural resources by engaging the public through educational programs. In 2013, NHAs distributed over $2 million in grants for educational projects and offered over 400 unique educational programs. Office of Communications - The NPS has announced the recipients of this year's Director's Partnership Awards, which recognize the most significant accomplishments achieved by parks and outside groups working together on projects, programs, and commemorative events. Intermountain Region - Douglas Neighbor, a 25-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named superintendent of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. He will assume his new position on October 19th. 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). --- ### --- |