Lake Mead |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2024. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Tuesday, May 13, 1986 LAME is involved in a search for an escaped felon. subject overpowered A U.S. marshall 1815 hours on 5/13 in Henderson Nevada and escaped with his vehicle, shotgun and 3 handguns. The vehicle was recovered at mile 33 on northshore road within LAME. Footprints indicated that he was traveling toward Echo Bay Resort. A command post has been established at Echo Bay for an interagency search involving NPS, Nevada Highway Patrol, Metro Police Dept, US Marshall, FBI and Henderson PD. LAME requests a law and order account with anticipated $4,000 in overtime and vehicle costs.
Initial Report Presumed drowning; victim was swimming in 33-Hole area. Missed by other members of party after approx. 1 hr. Mothe present. Victim was an epileptic. Follow Up Report 33-Hole area is located between Boulder Beach and Vegas Wash. NPS searched area with divers until evening. Diving operations continuing today.
Incident location: 33 Hole Summary: Subject operating boat after dark. Going about 3/4 throttle when he struck a spit of land. Boat flipped and landed on him. Transported to Valley Hospital by helicopter & died on operating table. Next of kin present.
Incident location: Catherine's Landing - Power Line Cove Summary: Victim water skiing behind boat being driven by daughter. Let go of rope. Daughter turned boat around to get him & hit him in buttocks with prop. Pulled out & taken to shore. When rangers arrived, gave CPR (he'd been underwater awhile). Transported to hospital. DOA.
Location: Upper Gypsum Wash Summary: Drowning. Victim's cousin reported that D.L.D. walked to edge of cliff overlooking the water, either tripped or fell into the water, surfaced once and then sank from sight. D.L.D. reported to be excellent swimmer. Height of cliff unknown. NPS divers recovered body.
Location: Echo Bay Summary: K.L. and M.J. were in separate boats and were briefly separated. K.L. eventually found his friend lying on top of his overturned boat. M.J. had severe lacerations to his lower abdomen and right arm, and was taken by K.L. to Echo Bay. Dentist and nurse on scene performed CPR until rangers arrived. M.J. medevaced to University Medical Center in Las Vegas and pronounced dead on arrival.
Location: Catherine's Landing Summary: Ms. M.N. and friend were returning from party, intoxicated. Ms. M.N. walked into lake, and friend dragged her out because she could not swim. She walked back in again and sank before he could get to her. Found 15 minutes later. CPR was administered, and she responded. Taken to Bullhead City, then Valley Hospital. Died three days later.
Location: Lower Government Wash Summary: Victim was swimming to shore, calling for help. His friends thought he was joking and didn't offer assistance. Fisherman called rangers; dive team recovered body.
Location: Back bay of Las Vegas Wash Mr. J.C.C. had been fishing in the lake. When he started his boat motor to return, it exploded. J.C.C. and a companion jumped into the lake. J.C.C. attempted to tow his boat along while swimming to shore, but drowned in the process. The body was later recovered.
Location: Lake Mojave District Mr. S.J.H. and Mr. G.C.R. were operating their own boats. S.J.H. attempted to pass G.C.R., and the boats collided. S.J.H. died of injuries received in the accident. G.C.R. has been charged with reckless operation and excessive speed.
Location: Lake Meade Marina launch rampe Las Vegas PD advised the park on 11/15 that a suicidal woman who'd also threatened to kill her seven-year-old son was in the area. Later on the same morning, concession divers doing routine maintenance on marina docks discovered a submerged vehicle with the victim's body in it. The mother admitted to killing her son; she said she'd given him an overdose of sleeping pills, then driven the car into the water. She was arrested by rangers and turned over to the Clark County sheriff's office. An autopsy is to be performed.
Location: Lake Meade Marina Ms. D.A.B. fell off a dock while getting off her house boat. A friend tried without luck to rescue her, so went for help. Responders arrived in 15 minutes and administered CPR. D.A.B. died in a hospital on January 4th.
Location: Mile Post #8, North Shore Road Mr. J.R.H. was swimming; about 30 feet from shore he shouted for help and went under. Rangers recovered his body in 20 feet of water. Three friends were present at the time of the incident.
Location: Lakeshore Drive Mr. B.B. was killed in a one car motor vehicle accident. While southbound at an excessive rate of speed, the car failed to negotiate a curve, went 200' off the road and rolled. The victim was thrown from his car.
Location: Las Vegas Wash Boat Harbor Subject was swimming in harbor and disappeared from view. Friends and parents searched for him and recovered his body. Rangers administered CPR until ambulance arrived but there were no vital signs. Victim was pronounced dead. Next of kin was present and press was notified.
Location: South Beach @ Boulder Beach M.A. was on rubber boat with two companions. A wind came up and he jumped overboard to pull the boat to shore. He began to tire and started to sink. His cousin jumped overboard to help, but M.A. sank. Park Rangers recovered the body in 11' of water.
Location: Hemenway Cove R.L.P. was floating on an inflatable raft approximately 30' to 40' from shore, in 6' of water. A friend, who was on shore, heard R.L.P. yelling for help. R.L.P. then seemed to fall off the raft, into the water, and disappeared from sight. His body was recovered at the point last seen by National Park Service Rangers, and transported to a funeral home in Henderson. Next of kin has not been notified.
Location: North Shore Road On 5/20 LAME received a report to be on the lookout for a 25 year old white male named R.R. who was wanted for murder by the Nevada Metro PD. R.R. was wanted for killing a man with a butcher knife and wounding the man's female companion earlier that day. R.R. was reported to be driving a 1979 Camaro. At 2:15pm the dispatcher at LAME received a report from a Nevada Fish & Game agent who was in the park and had spotted a 1979 Camaro matching the description of the vehicle. Two NPS patrol vehicles with 2 rangers each proceeded to milepost 1 on the North Shore Road where the sighting had occurred. At milepost 7 the rangers attempted to have the individual pull off the road. He would not stop, and a chase ensued. At milepost 24.2, on a straight stretch, the Camaro ran off the road and wrecked. The rangers approached the vehicle using felony stop procedures and found the driver dead of injuries suffered in the crash. A 16" butcher knife, was found in the vehicle along with a suicide note which left the Camaro to R.R.'s wife. Las Vegas Metro Homicide Division came to the park to perform the investigation, which is ongoing.
Location: Cottonwood Cove Access Road Child was walking with friends along the roadway when his hat reportedly blew off his head and into the roadway. He abruptly ran into the path of a concession refrigerated truck which swerved to miss him but failed. The swerving motion caused the truck to flip on its side crushing the child underneath. Parents were in the park at the time of the incident and were notified. Investigation ongoing.
Location: Hamlin Bay T.S. was swimming approximately 30' from shore when he began to call for help. W.B., a companion of T.S.'s, was on the beach and entered the water to help T.S.. By the time he reached the victim, T.S. had gone beneath the surface of the water. W.B. searched and found the body and brought it to shore where he started to perform CPR. Park rangers arrived on the scene, along with the coroner who pronounced T.S. dead. Next of kin has not been notified.
Location: Christmas Tree Pass in Grapevine Wash A camper in Needle #1 primitive campground spotted a human body approximately 200 yards from the campground. He called Las Vegas Metro Police who notified park personnel. Metro Police were the first ones on the scene. The remains, those of a white male, were nearly skeletal, no estimation could be made as to how long they had been at that location. Metro Police suspect homicide as the cause of death, Metro Police and park service personnel are investigating.
Location: West End Wash A human body was discovered several hundred yards off a dirt road which comes off the main highway. The body was discovered by a hiker and was badly decomposed. It was identified to be K.M.H. who had been reported missing on 7/23/87 by the Las Vegas Metro Police. Homicide suspected as the body was decapitated. Next of kin has been notified.
Location: North Shore Road at Shorelake Jct. M.Y. was the driver of a vehicle which rolled over. He died in a hospital operating room due to injuries suffered from the accident.
Location: Bighorn Island L.H. was with his family on a houseboat which was towing a ski boat. The towline broke and L.H. dove into the water to retrieve the boat. He was never seen again. He was known to be a good swimmer, but the water was rough and he was fully clothed. No alcohol or drugs apparent. A passerby reported the incident to NFS personnel. The dive team dove for several hours with no success. Another attempt was to be made the following day.
Location: Henderson, Nevada As a result of the explosion which destroyed the American Pacific rocket fuel plant in Henderson, Lake Mead closed all park roads which were in the direct path of the chemical cloud. Once it was learned that the cloud was not toxic, the roads were reopened and employed to route traffic diverted away from Henderson. Three fire trucks and 22 park rangers from Lake Mead have been dispatched to provide emergency assistance. Henderson is 8 miles due west from Lake Mead headquarters in Boulder City.
Location: Lake Mead Blvd. J.C., a passenger in a car driven by her brother D., died due to injuries sustained when a car driven by Harold Rowlins, crossed the center line striking them head-on. D.C. is hospitalized with serious injuries. Injuries to H.R. were limited to cuts and bruises. Evidence indicates that H.R. was intoxicated and he is being charged with felony drunk driving.
Location: Catherine On July 23rd, J.E.P., 38, of Irvine, California, was operating a jet ski when he struck a boat. He suffered massive injuries and was transported to Bullhead City Hospital where he died seven hours later. No further details are available at this time.
At approximately 11:30 a.m. on the morning of March 4th, seasonal ranger Bob Judkins was stopped by a visitor and informed that there was a man on foot at the intersection of Lakeshore and Northshore Drives who was brandishing a weapon and pointing it at passing motorists. Judkins called for assistance, drove to the scene and parked his vehicle across the roadway to block traffic from approaching the area. At approximately the same time, ranger Tom Valenta arrived from the opposite direction, and the man with the gun - later identified as 28-year-old B.E.M. of Jackson Hole, Wyoming - started walking toward him. Valenta saw a visitor's vehicle pulling up behind him, so he backed his patrol car toward the visitor, forcing the visitor to back up out of immediate danger. B.E.M. then turned toward Judkins, who also backed his vehicle away from B.E.M.. B.E.M. turned once again and started towards Valenta, who'd backed up about 200' around the corner of the intersection. Valenta got out of his patrol car with his shotgun and took a defensive position behind the open door. He ordered B.E.M. to drop his gun (a 380 mm Luger pistol), but B.E.M. continued to advance, yelling repeatedly: "I'm not going back to prison!" At one point, he told Valenta: "I'm going to kill you. You'd better shoot me now because I'm going to kill you." As he approached, B.E.M. pointed his weapon directly at Valenta; when he closed to within 20', Valenta fired one round from his shotgun, striking B.E.M. in the left side just below his chest. B.E.M. was flown to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he died on the operating table. Shortly after the incident, the park received information via teletype which identified B.E.M. and advised that he and an accomplice named A.J.P. were wanted for murder and armed robbery in Wyoming, where the two had killed A.J.P.'s uncle by shooting and stabbing him. Both were considered to be armed and dangerous. A.J.P. was arrested at a casino by Las Vegas police later that night. Their vehicle was found in Barstow, California. (Newt Sikes, CR, LAME).
The body of 42-year-old S.K. of Arcadia, California, was found in a vehicle at the Lake Mead Marina parking lot. The cause of death was apparently a single shot in the neck from a .22 caliber pistol. The death is tentatively listed as a suicide and is under investigation. (LAME dispatch, via Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
A motor vehicle accident on East Lake Mead Boulevard in the early hours of the 18th claimed the lives of two Las Vegas youths - K.M., 23, and J.L., who turned 24 that day. The driver, D.B., also of Las Vegas, was ejected from the vehicle during the accident and was not injured. D.B. evidently lost control of the vehicle due to excessive speed. (Lila Roybal, LAME, via Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
On the morning of May 7th, D.D., 63, of Coronado, California, was diving with a friend in Ringbolt Rapids on Lake Mohave. D.D. apparently was swept into some logs and limbs and was unable to get himself free. When he failed to surface, his partner sought assistance. Park divers recovered D.D.'s body four hours later. (Ann Betus, RAD/WRO).
On the night of May 5th, six people were injured in an accident in Echo Bay when their boat hit a rock outcropping at a high rate of speed. B.G.F., 47, of San Bruno, California, later died of his injuries in a Las Vegas hospital. There was no evidence that alcohol was a contributing factor in the accident. (Ann Betus, RAD/WRO).
Park rangers received a report of the entrapment of diver D.D. in Ringbolt Rapids via marine band radio shortly after the incident occurred, flew to the scene by helicopter and were in the water about 35 minutes after the report was received. They might have been able to save the victim, but the water was flowing at 22,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and they couldn't get closer than 30 feet from him. The river flow was dropped to 8,000 cfs in order to allow the divers to safely make the recovery. (John Benjamin, GICA).
On the afternoon of May 13th, two park rangers responded to the report of an unoccupied drifting canoe in the Devil's Cove area of the park's Temple Bar District. When they exited their boat at a nearby beach camping area, they were confronted by a 33-year-old male with a large knife. The rangers tried to get him to drop his knife for 15 to 20 minutes, but were unsuccessful. As they climbed back into their boat, the man lunged at them with the knife. The two rangers then fired on and killed the man. No further information is available on the incident at present; a follow-up report will appear as soon as possible. (Capt. Ed Winkle, USPP, and dispatch, LAME).
On the morning on May 13th, a fisherman saw a swamped canoe in Devil's Cove and reported it to the park. While rangers Don McBee (Lake Mead) and John Peterson (Grand Canyon) were en route by boat to the cove, two other fisherman in the area also spotted the canoe and recognized it as one which was owned by 33-year-old D.N. of Westoff, Texas, who had been living in a little shack in a narrow canyon near the cove since January. Noftser was known to rangers at Lake Mead. Sometime earlier this year, a family camping in the cove awoke to the sounds of D.N. loudly chanting at an altar near his hut and had complained to the park. Since D.N. had exceeded the 90-day limit on backcountry camping at Lake Mead, he had also been warned more than once that his permit had expired and that he would have to leave. The two fisherman found D.N. on shore and asked him if he wanted to go out fishing with them. D.N. joined them, but spent most of his time sleeping in the bottom of the boat. When he awoke, he began talking irrationally, then picked up a rifle he'd brought into the boat with him and took a shot at one of the fisherman, just barely missing him. At about this time, McBee and Peterson arrived on scene and approached the boat. Peterson took possession of the rifle, which was in plain view. The two boats headed toward shore side by side; when they neared the beach, the two fishermen jumped out and D.N. pulled out a hunting knife and began making threatening remarks to the rangers. Both rangers drew their weapons. The two rangers then spent over 20 minutes unsuccessfully trying to get D.N. to put down his knife, at the end of which time D.N. suddenly jumped into their boat. McBee was in the bow, D.N. was amidships, and Peterson was in the stern. The two rangers kept talking to him, but D.N. suddenly lunged toward the bow, telling McBee "I'll cut your guts out." McBee fired six rounds at Noftser - four hit him directly, one grazed him and the sixth missed. D.N. fell back into the middle of the boat, then got up again and started toward McBee, who was reloading his empty revolver. Peterson fired twice at D.N., hitting him both times. A Flight For Life helicopter was called for medical assistance, but D.N. was pronounced dead on arrival. The Las Vegas Metro PD homicide unit is investigating the incident. Following the shooting, a check was made of D.N.'s shack. Investigators found sheets of notebook paper with strange inscriptions posted on the walls, a six month supply of canned food, several potted plants (possibly marijuana) and 1200 prescription pills which were identified as common medication for disturbed mental patients. D.N. had no known criminal record. (Newt Sikes, CR, IAME, via Herb Gercke, RfiD/WRO and directly to RAD/WASO).
Two separate drownings occurred in the park on the 30th - one at Boulder Beach, the other at Katheryn Swim Beach. I.C., 29, of Huntington Park, California, attempted to go swimming at Boulder after drinking heavily. He drowned in 3' of water as his companions watched. B.T., 19, of Bollingbrook, Illinois, was swimming with a group of five persons with inner tubes at Katheryn when he became separated from his tube. He was rescued and brought to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead six hours later. (Herb Gercke, FAD/TCRO, via CompuServe message to RAD/WASO).
S.R., 31, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was towing a boat trailer along North Shore Road on May 30th when she entered a left turn, over-corrected, ran through a guard rail, and plunged down a 25-foot embankment. She died at the scene of head injuries. (CompuServe message from RAD/WRO).
The Board of Inquiry on the fatal shooting of D.N. at Devil's Cove on May 13th (see the 5/16 morning report) has ruled that park rangers Don McBee and Join Peterson acted within their authority and that the shooting was a justifiable homicide. (Lowell White, ARD/Cps, WRO, via CompuServe message to RAD/WASO).
On June 22nd, 70-year-old R.H. of Littletown, Colorado, was waterskiing on Lake Mead when he fell while coming to shore. He was medevaced to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. (Telephone report from RAD/WRO).
While driving at a high rate of speed (70 - 80 mph) on North Shore Road on the evening of the 12th, R.N. of Las Vegas lost control of his pickup truck, hit an embankment, then hit a passenger car head on as he tried to regain control of his vehicle. R.N.'s passenger, 23-year-old C.L. of Las Vegas, was killed in the accident, as were all three people in the car - 24-year-old S.D. and his daughters S., one, and S., three, all of Las Vegas. R.N. is in fair to good condition at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Investigator's have determined that R.N. was driving under the influence of alcohol. (Don Hamilton, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
On August 2nd, 21-year-old D.B. of Alto Loma, California, was rock climbing at Wildburro Bay with two companions when he fell 70 to 80 feet to his death. None of the three climbers was employing safety aids. (Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
On August 7th, D.D., 20, of Cuahtemoch, Mexico, and a companion attempted to swim from Special Events Beach to the "wakeless" buoy marker, a distance of about a quarter of a mile. Although D.D.'s companion made it to the buoy, D.D. floundered behind him and eventually sank from sight. Other visitors reached him and brought him to shore, but it took another five minutes before someone with CPR skills arrived at the beach. CPR efforts failed, and Dominguez was later pronounced dead due to drowning. (Lila Roybal, Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
On September 3rd, a motor vehicle heading southbound in excess of 90 mph on North Shore Road left the roadway, flipped on its top and caught fire instantly. Three of the four occupants were killed, and the survivor has been hospitalized with severe head injuries. The Clark County coroner is currently attempting to identify the three victims. No further information is available on the incident. (Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
On the evening of the 11th, D.D., 39, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was attempting to simultaneously swim and pull a small sail boat to a trailer at the marina launch ramp when he suddenly began yelling for help and went under. Rangers searched the lake's waters for him and found and recovered his body. Cause of death is not known, but is presumed to be drowning. (Telephone report from Ann Betus, RAD/WRO).
L.M., 22, of Upland, California, was camping with relatives and friends on a houseboat between El Dorado and Cottonwood Cave on the morning of September 29th when he entered the lake for a swim after a night of partying. His absence was noticed after ten minutes and attempts were made to find him. L.M.'s body was discovered in ten feet of water. CPR was administered for 15 minutes with no positive results. The victim was known to suffer from epilepsy. His death was the park's 37th fatality this year. (Lila Roybal, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
On the evening of October 5th, campers near Cottonwood East on Lake Mohave saw flames and heard gunshots in the distance. When they investigated the next day, they found a burned out 1976 Dodge van with two bodies - one male and one female - in the back. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office is the lead agency on the investigation. (Terry Green, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO).
Around noon on March 15th, B.J., 72, of Central Point, Oregon, left his campsite at Cottonwood East in his ten-foot aluminum fishing boat to got to Cottonwood Cove Marina to purchase supplies. At 8 a.m. on the following morning, his wife reported to rangers that B.J. had failed to return. A search ensued utilizing patrol boats and an aircraft. The aircraft located B.J.'s body in Cottonwood Island Cove about an hour later. The cause of death is unknown. (Don Hamilton, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4:30 EST, 3/19/90).
On March 24th, J.B., 26, of Bullhead City, Arizona, was drinking with two friends at South Telephone Cove when he decided to go into the lake to sober up. Some time later, students from Northern Arizona University found his body and began unsuccessful efforts at CPR. (Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, noon EST, 3/26/90).
J.C., 85, was sitting on the wall at Lake Mead overlook when he spotted and attempted to catch a snake. In the process of that effort, he lost his footing and fell 100 feet to his death. (Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 5 p.m. EDT, 4/9/90).
On June 12th, 41-year-old G.L. of Pomona, California, was returning from a water skiing trip when he began complaining of lower abdominal pains. After stopping at several restrooms along the way, he went into one at North Telephone Cove. When he failed to return to the car, his friends went looking for him. They found G.L. unconscious and without a pulse and began CPR immediately. Park rangers assisted in transporting him to Bull Head City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause of death is to be determined by autopsy. (Don Hamilton, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/12).
The body of 56-year-old L.W. of Kingman, Arizona, was found floating in Cottonwood Cove on the 17th. The body was retrieved, and investigators determined that Whitehead apparently died from a gunshot to the head. An investigation into the circumstances of his death are underway. This is the park's tenth fatality so far this year. (Lila Roybal, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/18).
E.H., 33, of Las Vegas, was swimming with his nine-year-old daughter from an unanchored boat near Boulder Beach on the afternoon of the 24th when the boat began drifting away from them. E.H.'s daughter, who was wearing a FED (life preserver), was able to make it back to her mother and two siblings on the boat, but E.H. went under. Since he drowned in 380 feet of water, no attempt is being made to recover the body. (Dispatch, LAME, via telephone report from Chris Cameron, RAD/WRO, 6/25).
V.P., 41, of Las Vegas and a companion were operating a boat at a high rate of speed on the 14th when their vessel struck a reef and knocked both of them into the water. They then attempted to swim to shore without the assistance of floatation devices. V.P. never made it, and rescue attempts by NPS divers failed to recover his body. Investigation reveals alcohol was a factor in the accident. (Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/18).
At about 2:30 p.m. on the 13th, J.M., 22, of Bullhead City, Arizona, was swimming in the area of Cabin Site Point near Katherine Landing with four friends. As the group swam across a lagoon, J.M. suddenly stopped and called to his friends, saying that he could not make it. He disappeared under the surface as his companions returned to assist him. NPS divers recovered the body around 3 p.m. (Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 8/15).
M.W., 22, of Cgden, Utah, was working with a private road construction crew on North Shore Road on the 23rd when he was stuck and run over by one of the trucks hauling gravel to the site. The crew was working under an NPS contract to pave part of the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene. (LAME dispatch, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 8/27).
On August 27th, 33-year-old D.C. of Las Vegas was driving his car near Horsepower Cove when he failed to negotiate a curve on a dirt access road, ever-corrected and rolled over. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators state that alcohol and illegal drugs were contributing factors in the accident. (LAME dispatch, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 8/27).
Eight-year-old W.H. of Henderson, Nevada, was swimming near the campground at Las Vegas Wash when he became separate from his friends. He called for help, but sank before rescuers could reach him. His body was later recovered by the park's dive team. (LAME dispatch, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 8/27).
On August 22nd, O.B., 62, of Overton, Nevada, was killed in a one- car accident on North Shore Road. The vehicle rolled over after O.B. failed to negotiate a curve, and he was ejected. O.B. was not wearing a seatbelt. (LAME dispatch, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 8/27).
On October 10th, the Boulder Beach District's 24-foot Skipjack sank at its moorings at the government dock in 20 feet of water for unknown reasons. The boat was raised to its gunnels, but sank again before being stabilized. The park estimates the cost of commercial salvage and repair at $17,000. The boat was scheduled for replacement two years ago. (Bud Inman, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 10/10).
A maintenance worker for the Nevada Water Commission noticed a camper parked off the roadway on Lake Shore Drive with a hose running from the exhaust into the vehicle early on the morning of November 2nd. The responding rangers found 39-year-old G.T. of Vancouver, Washington, lying unconscious on the front seat. G.T. was pronounced dead at the scene. (Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 11/5).
Shortly after noon on November 18th, ranger Malcolm DeMunbrun was driving a marked 1989 Plymouth Grand Fury patrol vehicle on Lakeshore Drive. As he approached an intersection with a beach access road, he saw a Ford crew cab pickup coming in his direction which appeared to be slowing to make a turn onto the access road. Instead of stopping to allow DeMunbrun to pass by, however, the driver of the pickup made a sudden turn across his path. DeMunbrun braked and pulled to the side of the road, but could not avoid a collision. The impact caused the pickup to overturn, and both vehicles suffered major damage. Neither DeMunbrun nor the three occupants of the pickup were injured, though. All four were wearing seatbelts, and the air bag in DeMunbrun's cruiser activated and provided him with further protection. (Bob Belten, Safety Officer, LAME, via (CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 11/29).
The body of L.B., 39, of Cross Lake, Minnesota, was found in a parked pickup truck at Lake View Point on January 14th. A hose extended from the exhaust pipe into the truck's cab. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 1/14]
Rangers and Las Vegas PD officers found the body of a 62-year-old man from Chula Vista, California, at Christmas Tree Pass on February 5th. The man had died from a gunshot wound. A Ruger revolver was found near the body. Investigators have determined that the death was a suicide. [Lila Roybal, Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 2/6]
A visitor reported finding an unexploded ordnance training device at Jefferson Davis Cove on Lake Mohave on April 17th. Ranger Glen Anderson and VIP Art Coleman investigated and found an object which was approximately one and a half inches in diameter and six inches long and had two wires protruding from the top. Identifying lot numbers were ground off the device, and it is believed that it was illegally obtained and deliberately placed in the park. EOD personnel from Nellis Air Force Base removed the device, which was estimated to have contained about a pound of explosives. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/22]
The body of an unidentified adult female was found in Las Vegas Wash on April 19th. Numerous "tracks" and bruises from injections were found on her arms and legs. An investigation is underway. [Terry Green, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/22]
A truck delivering 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel to construction workers at the base of Hoover Dam lost its brakes, wrecked and spilled fuel into the Colorado River below the dam on May 2nd. The Boulder Beach fire brigade responded and assisted Bureau of Reclamation personnel in removing the injured driver and in providing fire protection. Rangers monitored the spill as it moved down river and eventually dissipated. The spill had no impacts on fish or wildlife. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 5/9]
A large cloud of chlorine gas was released following a spill at an industrial complex in Henderson, Nevada, on May 6th. NPS personnel worked at a command post and triage area set up in Boulder City and provided medical assistance to over 80 persons affected by the gas. Rangers also provided traffic control on park roads leading into and out of the town. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 5/9]
H.B. and R.G., both 18-year-olds from Las Vegas, were racing their motorcycles in excess of 80 mph on North Shore Road at 10:30 p.m. on June 4th when they both lost control of their bikes on a curve and ran off the roadway. H.B. struck with such force he lost his helmet and a boot and was killed. R.G. survived the accident. [Bud Inman, CR, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/5]
Four-year-old D.J. of Las Vegas was playing in the shallow waters of the lake when he stepped off a ledge into deeper water and drowned. Family members reported the incident to the park dispatcher; ranger units arrived shortly thereafter and recovered the body. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 6/11]
Around 9:10 p.m. on July 8th, the park received a call via marine band radio from a member of a group of about 20 people in two houseboats at the extreme upper end of the lake. The caller said that one of their party was in diabetic shock and that several of them would be bringing the victim to Temple Bar in a 19 foot Sun-ray speedboat. Rangers Mike Ramirez and Jonathan Schafler went down to the dock at Temple Bar to await their arrival. When the boat failed to appear at the scheduled time, the rangers headed out in a 20 to 22 foot Boston Whaler to find them. Shortly thereafter, the two boats collided. One of the occupants of the Sun-ray, 28-year-old S.N., was fatally injured. Two others T.M.N., 30, of Ontario, California, and W.N., 34, of Chino, California received serious head injuries, and the operator of the boat L.M. of Bloomington, California received minor injuries. Ramirez and Schafler suffered only minor injuries. The rangers were able to transport all four to Temple Bar. The two with head injuries were taken via helicopter to Las Vegas; the third injured party was taken via ambulance to Kingman, Arizona. Although the night was dark, the Sun-ray was running at about 60 mph without lights except for a handheld flashlight. L.M. initially stated that he saw the Whaler and was heading toward it; he apparently misjudged the distance between the boats and was unable to correct in time. Because the accident involved the NPS, the park has asked the Nevada Department of Wildlife to investigate the incident. The Clark County coroner is investigating the fatality. [Karen Whitney, LAME, via telephone and CompuServe reports from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 7/9]
On the morning of June 29th, a boat operated by R.G. of Palmdale, California, and occupied by his wife, two children and a nephew, had just completed fueling at the Lake Mead Marina. R.G. was attempting to start the engine after running the bilge blower for about two minutes when a gas fire and explosion occurred. Mrs. R.G., the couple's three-year-old daughter and their six-year-old nephew all received second degree burns; Mr. R.G. and the couple's four-and-a-half-month-old son received first and second degree burns. All were taken by helicopter to the burn center at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. The fire was extinguished by the marina's fire boat. The fire was caused by a faulty gas filler hose which let raw fuel into the engine and bilge of the vessel. [Linda Ross, LAME, via CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 7/8]
On July 10th, J.P., 45, of Fontana, California, flew into the airstrip at Temple Bar to deliver the pilot who was to fly out the plane belonging to S.N., who was killed in the boating accident which occurred on the lake on July 8th (912-71). J.P. took off to return to Kingman, Arizona, later that afternoon. Just after leaving, he called the airstrip to report that he was having difficulties with his aircraft. Nothing more was heard from him. Rangers began a search and soon located his crashed aircraft about a quarter mile south of the strip. J.P. was dead at the scene. There were no other occupants in the plane, and there was no fire. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident. [John Jones, Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 7/11]
E.B., 60, of Las Vegas, Nevada, apparently drowned while fishing near Las Vegas Wash between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. on the morning of July 13th. E.B. and a neighbor came to the park to fish. E.B.'s companion fell asleep and awoke to find E.B. floating face down in the wash. Rangers attempted CPR but were not successful. The incident is under investigation. [David Hamilton, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/15]
E.J., 51, of Las Vegas, was killed while riding in a pickup on Northshore Road late on the morning of the 28th. A piece of metal, part of a pulley from a 1976 Pontiac Firebird, hit the ground, bounced into oncoming traffic and struck the hood of the pickup E.J. was riding in. The two-and-a-half inch piece of metal then ricocheted off the hood, went through the windshield, and hit her between the eyes. The truck was being driven by the victim's husband; several other family members were passengers. She was pronounced dead at the scene. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/30]
Following an argument in the Overton Beach Campground on the night of the 28th, R.R., 31, of California, stabbed W.R., 51, of Detroit, Michigan, in the chest with a screwdriver. R.R. fled on foot, but was apprehended just before 1:00 a.m. about three miles from the scene of the incident. The screwdriver was found in the campground. W.R. was transported by helicopter to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he is listed in fair condition with four stab wounds, all in his chest. Investigators have learned that R.R. is wanted in California on outstanding felony warrants. It appears that R.R. was hitch hiking to Colorado, and that W.R. picked him up. They'd arrived at Overton Beach earlier that evening. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/30]
The park received a report of a possible drowning in Lower Gypsum Wash from a local police department around 11:00 p.m. on August 21st. Responding rangers and officers reported that the victim, M.K., 21, of Las Vegas, had been found floating in about two feet of water. CPR was attempted but discontinued before rangers arrived on the scene. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the accident. [Anne Yoss, LAME, via CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 8/22]
Two boats operated by friends collided about three and a half miles north of Cottonwood Cove around 10:30 p.m. on the 28th, causing the deaths of two of the four occupants and serious injuries to the remaining pair. The accident, which took place within the view of their families on shore, occurred when one boat turned left in front of the second boat. Since the first boat did not have the appropriate lights working, the operator of the second boat did not see it and ran over the top of it. Both parties in the first boat the operator, J.H., 35, of Huntington Beach, California, and his passenger, D.O., 32, of Compton, California were killed instantly. The pair in the second boat were evacuated to a hospital; although their injuries are serious, they are not lifethreatening. D.O.'s body was found the next day by park divers. She was the sister of the second boat's operator. Factors involved in the accident include lack of proper lighting on the first boat, night time operation, excessive speed, and, possibly, consumption of alcohol. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 9/30]
G.H., the man who killed 23 people in Killeen, Texas, last week, was arrested in Lake Mead in June for being under the influence and for possession of loaded firearms. He was found sitting in his pickup truck alongside the Hemennway Road in a state of extreme intoxication. He was given a series of field sobriety tests, all of which he failed. While being placed under arrest, he was asked if there were any valuables in his vehicle. G.H. told the ranger that he had two handguns behind the seat. The ranger retrieved the weapons, both of which had rounds in their magazines. Checks on the guns were negative. G.H. was taken into custody, and his mother later retrieved the truck. The handguns were left with the vehicle since they had not been used in a crime and were being turned over to a responsible party. G.H. pleaded guilty later that month to the under the influence charge and was fined $110. He pleaded no contest on the firearm possession charge and was fined $60 for that offense. G.H. lived at the time with his mother in Henderson, Nevada, about 20 miles from Las Vegas. The weapons found in the truck were the same models as those employed in the Killeen massacre. [Telephone report from Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 10/21]?
The wreckage of the Las Vegas Airlines Piper Navajo Chieftain was found by Lake Mead search aircraft early yesterday morning just below the summit of 5,445-foot Mount Wilson, about eight miles east of Hoover Dam. All five persons aboard were killed in the crash. The twin-engine plane apparently crashed in bad weather around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, about the time that air traffic controllers lost radar and radio contact with it. A search team dropped by helicopter into the rugged site found the bodies of the pilot and his four passengers. National Transportation Safety Board inspectors are en route to the scene. [Telefax from Gary Bunney, Assistant Superintendent, LAME, 12/11; United Press, 12/12]
A commercially-operated Cessna T-210-L crashed just short of the runway at the Temple Bar airstrip on the afternoon of January 13th, killing two of the plane's five occupants. The pilot and two passengers who survived were injured in the accident. The crash was witnessed by a park maintenance worker, who reported it to dispatch. Rescuers responded immediately, and the injured were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Las Vegas. The pilot reported engine problems before the accident. All of the passengers on the plane were from Hong Kong. No names are available at this time. [Bud Inman, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 1/14]
Around 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of January 16th, a hiker discovered the body of a man in a pickup truck with a camper shell which was parked in the Upper Gypsum area. Investigators have tentatively identified the victim, but the cause of death is still under investigation. The coroner has ruled out suicide. The Las Vegas Metro police department is investigating. No further information is currently available. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 1/16]
On January 14th, a park employee at Lake Mead was sentenced in state court on one count of open lewdness, a misdemeanor, which resulted from an incident which had occurred in the park last July. At that time, the daughter of a volunteer in the park reported that the employee had sexually assaulted her in the Callville Bay fire house. While investigating this complaint, investigators learned of an earlier sexual assault complaint against the employee which had been handled informally. Written and verbal statements were taken from both victims, and the cases were presented to the United States attorney. At that office's request, the cases were transferred to the Clark County district attorney's office, and prosecution in state court was approved for two felony counts of sexual assault. In a plea bargain agreement, the employee agreed to plead guilty to the single count of open lewdness and the state agreed to dismiss the felony counts of sexual assault. The employee, who had earlier been terminated by the park, was sentenced to a year in the Clark County jail (suspended), an indeterminate probationary period not to exceed three years, mandatory counseling, and 240 hours of community service. [CompuServe message from RAD/WRO, 1/30]
A ranger who was on patrol in the Temple Bar district on February 10th came upon the body of E.W., 50, of Arlington, Texas, on a boat in Campanile Cove. E.W. apparently died of a gunshot wound to the head. An investigation into his death is underway. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 2/11]
An undercover operation conducted by rangers from Katherine Landing between February 4th and 10th culminated in the arrest of M.W., a suspected methamphetamine dealer living in and operating from the trailer village at that location. An undercover ranger moved into the trailer adjacent to M.W.'s, made his acquaintance, then purchased methamphetamine from him on three separate occasions. The final purchase was for an eighth of an ounce of the drug. M.W., S.E. and four others were subsequently arrested on felony charges. Two of the charges against M.W. and S.E. carry sentences of from 25 years to life in prison. [Dispatch, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 2/19]
Just after 5:00 a.m. on March 25th, a motorist came upon an upside down truck off the side of North Shore Road near Callville Bay. Investigating rangers found that the vehicle had been in an accident, and that the driver, S.K.J., 47, of Las Vegas, Nevada, had been killed. S.K.J., the only occupant of the vehicle, apparently fell asleep, awakened when she went off the road on a curve, then overcorrected and crashed. She was not wearing a seatbelt. An investigation is being conducted by the Nevada highway patrol. [Don Hamilton, LAME, via CompuServe message from Kathy Clark, WRO, 3/25]
Following receipt of information that a drug shipment was due to arrive in the park by air on the evening of March 30th, rangers and other members of MAGNET, a multi-agency task force, intercepted an aircraft in the Katherine District and arrested the pilot and five other people on charges of possession of illegal drugs. The task force seized a pound and a half of methamphetamine, a half pound of marijuana, the aircraft, and a pickup and trailer. The shipment, which was valued at $38,000, is believed to have originated in Mexico. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, via CompuServe message from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 4/1]
C.C., 16, of Las Vegas, was swimming in Gypsum Wash with several friends on April 10th when he decided to swim alone across the wash and back, a distance of about one half mile. C.C. never made it back, and he was reported as missing to rangers the following day. His body was found later that day. His death has been ruled a drowning. [Allene Vassar, LAME, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/14]
During the second week of April, rangers were involved in a host of significant incidents, including: * a motor vehicle accident with critical injuries in which an occupant was
trapped in the vehicle and a medivac flight was required; Investigators also determined that the actual amount of drugs transported in the incident on March 31st (92-100) in which six people were arrested was 14.8 pounds of marijuana and a half pound of methamphetamine. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, via SEAdog message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 4/20]
On April 11th, a park dispatcher was arrested for the sale of drugs. She became the focus of an investigation after information was received that she was involved in use and sale of illegal drugs. Lake Mead law enforcement rangers and local officers were able to gain sufficient evidence to charge her with use and sale of narcotics. Information obtained during the investigation revealed that she was using drugs on duty while performing dispatch functions. [Mike Blandford, CI, LAME, via telefax from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 4/24]
Several areas and operational units of the National Park Service were directly or peripherally affected by the riots, demonstrations and other incidents that have occurred since the verdict was handed down in the King assault case: * Lake Mead (Nevada) - Las Vegas authorities asked the park to put its law enforcement rangers and structural fire units on standby on Thursday night. Seven structural fire engines were prepared to roll, but were not called. [Telephone and telefax reports from Phil Ward, RAD/WRO; Bob Reid, RAD/MARO; Bob Ditolla, RAD/NARO; Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SERO; Bob Byrne, CR, INDE]
On March 31st, rangers and other members of a local task force intercepted an aircraft in the Katherine District and arrested the pilot and five other people on charges of possession of about 15 pounds of marijuana. During the subsequent investigation, rangers found five pounds of methamphetamine in another compartment on the aircraft. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, via cc:Mail message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 5/7]
During the last week of April, rangers were involved in a number of significant incidents, including: * a motor vehicle accident in which the injured drive had to be extricated
and transported via helicopter to a medical facility; As noted earlier this week, park firefighters and EMS personnel were also put on alert to respond to the riot in Las Vegas last Thursday and Friday, but were not called out. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, via cc:Mail message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 5/7]
A team of Navy Seals recovered 35 sticks of nitroglycerin-based dynamite from the lake in an area known as The Cliffs on the evening of Monday, May 18th. Upon discovery of the explosives, the park evacuated a portion of the nearby shoreline, restricted boat traffic in the area, and requested the assistance of the Navy team because of their expertise in diving and dealing with explosives. The Navy divers spent about two hours retrieving the dynamite from the lake; it was then taken to Nellis Air Force Base for disposal. The dynamite was apparently stolen from a construction site in Utah and brought to the Las Vegas area by a man hoping to sell it to gangs. [Karen Whitney, LAME, via cc:Mail message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 5/19]
D.M., 27, was swimming in Placer Cove in the Willow Beach area on the afternoon of June 8th when he experienced difficulties and was brought to shore by bystanders. They were able to revive him, and responding rangers found that he had a weak pulse. D.M. was medevaced to a local medical center, where he was pronounced dead. The subsequent investigation revealed that alcohol was a factor in the incident. [Aleen Vassar, LAME, via cc:Mail report from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/9]
A three-month-long investigation into drug-related activities begun by park personnel and involving the IRS and FBI led to the seizure of a 31-foot, 1991 model Sea Ray boat at Callville Bay Marina and the seizure of over $800,000 in cash in several depositories. The boat was owned by R.L.L. of Las Vegas. The park will attempt to obtain the seized boat for local use under forfeiture statutes. [Mike Blandford, LAME, via cc:Mail report from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/8]
Shortly before midnight on June 19th, a park visitor discovered a brown paper bag enclosing a clear plastic bag containing a white powder behind a toilet at the Cottonwood Cove launch ramp restroom. The find was reported to Las Vegas police, who in turn advised rangers. The restroom was placed under surveillance, but no suspects were identified. The package was seized as evidence and a field test indicated that the substance was methamphetamine. The packaged contained 492 grams of the substance with a street value in excess of $34,000. Several investigative leads are being pursued to identify the origin of the drug. [Dispatch, LAME, 6/25]
On June 27th, W.M., 3, was playing on his father's boat at Moon Cove while his father was sunbathing. When the father went looking for his son around 4:00 p.m., he found him floating face down in the water near the boat. The boy was transported to Las Vegas and place on life support equipment, but died the next day. [Terry Green, LAME, 6/29]
J.D., 33, a Mexican national, was swimming with two friends in Hemingway Harbor on June 12th when he began experiencing difficulties. A friend attempted to rescue him but was unsuccessful. A visitor on a jet ski who was passing by was able to rescue J.D. He was pronounced dead at a Las Vegas hospital on June 27th. [Terry Green, LAME, 6/29]
A.P., two, was playing in the water in a small rubber raft at South beach on July 6th when the wind caused the raft to drift from shore and eventually overturn. The boy was retrieved by rangers who were patrolling in the area, but resuscitation efforts failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy's father had been watching him, but had been distracted when the accident occurred. [Allene Vassar, LAME, 7/6]
J.T.B., 61, was found dead in his home in Lake Shore Trailer Village on July 13th. Indications are that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An investigation into his death is underway. [Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/14]
S.P., 36, and a female friend were lying beside a campfire near the North Shore Road around 5:00 a.m. on August 9th when they were struck by a car that had been parked but apparently started to roll on its own. S.P. was pushed into the fire and suffered second and third degree burns over 70% of his body. He was taken to University Hospital in Las Vegas, where he died early the following morning. His companion suffered only a sprained ankle. The incident is being investigated by Las Vegas police. [John Jones, LAME, 8/11]
On the morning of August 13th, two jet skiers found a man face down in the water about a half mile from Hemenway. They notified rangers, who recovered the body. The victim has been identified as R.J., 74, of Peoria, Arizona. The cause of death is unknown, and an investigation is underway. [Terri Greene, LAME, 8/13]
On the afternoon of August 21st, heavy rains from the remnants of Pacific Hurricane Lester fell on Lake Mead and caused serious damage to several facilities. Lake Mead Marina at Boulder Beach broke loose from its moorings and floated out into the lake. The road to Willow Beach was completely washed out and the water line and chlorine house there were destroyed. Cottonwood Cove and Temple Bar was also hit hard, but remain open to the public. A full damage assessment is underway, but it is already evident that repairs to the Willow Beach water line will cost approximately $100,000. No injuries were reported. Rangers are patrolling by aircraft and boat to determine if any visitors have been stranded. Further rains are predicted for the area. [Phil Ward, RCR, RAD/WRO, 8/24]
J.D., 22, of Los Angeles, drowned at Crawdad Cove on September 12th. He was last seen swimming with companions at 4:20 that afternoon. NPS divers, who were notified just after 6:30 p.m., dove with negative results that day, but found his body 80 feet from shore in 12 feet of water late the following morning. No further details on the incident are available. [Scott Olson, LAME, 9/14]
Glen "Bud" Wohlbrandt, who was a maintenance employee at Lake Mead, died of cancer on September 12th. Funeral services are being held this afternoon in Boulder City. His family asks that donations be sent in lieu of flowers to help defray medical expenses. They may be sent to his wife, Maudie Wohlbrandt, 1320 Appaloosa Road, Boulder City, NV 89005. [Carole Messick, LAME, 9/15]
Rangers were called to the campground at Katherine following an accidental shooting incident on the evening of September 15th and found S.P., 45, of Windover, Utah, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to the abdomen. A group of five men who were camping together were looking at a replica of a .45 caliber, single-action Colt revolver which apparently discharged as it was being passed to S.P.. The bullet struck him in the lower abdomen and exited near his collar bone. An investigation is being conducted by the park and the Mohave County sheriff's office. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 9/17]
On September 29th, A.E. of Las Vegas, Nevada, the prime suspect in a sexual assault which had occurred in the park, turned himself in at the law offices of a local attorney. On August 19th, a 19-year-old woman reported that she'd been sexually assaulted in the Gypsum Wash area. A.E. was identified as the suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The park and Las Vegas police had attempted to find Echeverria, but without luck. A.E. has been charged with four counts of sexual assault. [Susan Warner, LAME, 10/7]
Late last July, Las Vegas police arrested three juveniles in a drive-by shooting incident in Las Vegas and subsequently found that they were driving a stolen vehicle and were in possession of two guns which had been reported stolen in the park. A joint investigation by rangers and Las Vegas and Boulder City police led to the clearance of 20 stolen vehicle cases and the recovery of numerous items of stolen property, including guns, televisions, and VCR's. Four vehicles were recovered in the park, and seven NPS auto burglaries were cleared. The three juveniles were each found guilty of multiple counts of grand larceny, possession and use of firearms, auto burglary, and firing into an occupied dwelling. They are presently serving sentences in the state juvenile facility in Elko, Nevada. [Susan Warner, LAME, 10/14]
On October 16th, the park received a report that occupants of a houseboat had found a human skeleton near Nellis Cove on Lake Mohave. Rangers and Las Vegas homicide investigators eventually contacted the parties and located the remains. Although no positive identification of the victim has yet been made, the remains are believed to be those of A.E.I., who has been missing since June 10, 1990. The investigation is continuing. [Scott Olson, LAME, 10/16]
On October 24th, a park visitor reported that he had seen a man who was fishing in Las Vegas Wash swept under near the point where it enters Lake Mead during a thunderstorm. He had attempted to rescue the victim, but was unsuccessful due to the swift current and poor visibility. The victim's car and fishing gear were found, and he has been tentatively identified as Sompis Gingsumrong, 34, of Las Vegas. The search for his body continues but is being hampered by fast moving water and near zero visibility. [John Jones, LAME, 10/27]
On Wednesday, November 25th, park visitors found 19-year-old C.N., a local resident, wandering around without food or water and in an advanced stage of hypothermia. C.N., who was wearing chaps and tennis shoes with spurs, told rangers that he and a companion had been on a horse trip from Katherine to Hoover Dam, a distance of about 60 miles, and that they had become separated. Rangers and sheriff's deputies began an air, ground and water search for C.N.'s companion. The effort was suspended after two days when further investigation revealed that C.N. was suffering from mental confusion and that he had left home on Monday on a solo 60-mile hike without water or food. Nighttime temperatures during the period were in the 30s. [Dave Hoover, LAME, 12/2]
On August 11th, the parents of a ten-year old female contacted rangers and reported that she had been sexually assaulted by G.H., a resident of the employee housing area where they all lived. Rangers Pat Donohue and Larry Hanneman responded; when they arrived, G.H. attempted to walk rapidly from the area but was apprehended by Hanneman. Investigation confirmed the allegations, and G.H. was arrested and charged with sexual assault and lewdness with a minor. On September 3rd, G.H. pled guilty to lewdness with a minor in a plea bargain agreement with the county district attorney. The sexual assault charge was dismissed. On November 3rd, G.H. was sentenced to five years in the state prison. [Susan Warner, LAME, 1/7]
A park maintenance worker reported a vehicle fire at the four mile marker on the access road to Temple Bar on January 12th. Responding rangers found that there was one unidentifiable victim in the vehicle. No further information is currently available. An investigation is underway. [Bud Walsh, LAME, 1/12]
On the afternoon of January 26th, rangers received a report that two juveniles in a white Chevrolet van were attempting to solicit gasoline from park visitors, telling them that they were trying to get to the Grand Canyon. Ranger Joe Hayes subsequently located and attempted to stop the van on the Willow Beach access road, but the van sped up and headed south on U.S. 93 at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour. Hayes followed while summoning assistance. Mohave County sheriff's office and Arizona DPS officers were in the process of responding to assist Hayes when the van made a U-turn at milepost 35 - 23 miles after the pursuit began - and headed north on 93. The park aircraft joined the pursuit and provided aerial surveillance. At milepost four, park criminal investigator Mike Blandford and rangers Gary Sebade and John Black, assisted by Arizona DPS and Hoover Dam police officers, established a road block and set out strips of road spikes to puncture the van's tires. All traffic at Hoover Dam was stopped The 56-mile pursuit ended when the van ran over the spikes. The two juvenile occupants of the van, one female and one male, were taken into custody; both were runaways from the state of Nevada. The driver of the van is a 14-year-old gang member from Las Vegas who was awaiting sentencing for burglary and possession of a controlled substance. Both juveniles were booked into the juvenile detention facility in Mohave County, Arizona. The male driver was charged with felony fleeing to elude a police officer, operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, and multiple traffic offenses. The female was booked as a runaway juvenile. [Susan Warner, LAME, 2/1]
Ranger John Black made a traffic stop on a truck being operated in a reckless manner on Lakeshore Road at 6:30 p.m. on February 5th. The driver, D.L., 43, of Boulder City, smelled of an alcoholic beverage and could produce neither driver's license, registration nor insurance certificate. When Black told him to turn off the truck's ignition, D.L. instead floored the accelerator, turned off the truck's headlights and fled. Rangers pursued. The chase culminated in the Hemenway Campground when the truck was blocked after it pulled into a campsite. D.L. had to be removed from the vehicle by force and began struggling with rangers. Although Capstun was used, it appeared to have had no effect on D.L.. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, attempting to elude a police officer, and numerous other traffic offenses. [Van Kuren, LAME, 2/10]
On February 8th, park dispatch received a call from Citizens Utilities, a company that operates a microwave within the park near Willow Beach, reporting that a repairman at the site had observed a suspicious vehicle approaching the location after dark with its lights out. Several thefts of solar panels and electronic equipment with a cumulative value of $40,000 had occurred recently at the site. Rangers responded and detained two suspects, who were turned over to the county sheriff's office, which is investigating the burglaries. Physical evidence at the scene included tire tracks and shoe prints; together with the tools the suspects had in their possession, the sheriff's office had sufficient evidence to arrest the pair. The two are prime suspects in thefts of similar equipment from southern California and Montana. [Susan Warner, LAME, 2/18]
Rangers discovered the remains of C.K., 43, of Kingman, Arizona, at Christmas Tree Pass. C.K. died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The death has been ruled a suicide. [John Jones, LAME, 2/24]
Visitors reported seeing a body floating near the cliffs along the North Shore on February 27th. The body was eventually recovered and identified as that of J.M.S., 47, of Las Vegas. A cause of death has not yet been determined, but the presumption is that he died of natural or accidental causes. The location where he was found is a popular swimming area. There were no witnesses to the incident. [John Jones, LAME, 3/1]
On the evening of February 19th, major storms struck the Willow Beach and Katherine Landing areas. Willow Beach received 1.08 inches of rain within a one-hour period, and Katherine Landing received 2.30 inches over a two-hour period. Remote rain gauges "alarmed" at Willow Beach, indicating a minimum intensity of .44 inch in a three-minute period. Flood warning evacuation sirens were activated at the 60-unit trailer village, and ranger Kevin Hendricks coordinated the evacuation of 20 trailers and 33 persons. Approximately 18 inches of flood water rushed down Willow Beach Wash, cutting away access roads, drainage channels, and 175 feet of a five-foot- high retaining wall. No injuries were reported. The storm also damaged the Willow Beach access road, and roads and parking lots in Katherine. More than 3,200 square yards of asphalt roadway was lost in the two areas. Storm damage has been estimated at $136,000 for both areas. [Susan Warner, LAME, 3/4]
At about 4 p.m. on March 26th, W.I. and J.I., both 57, parked their mobile trailer at Boxcar Cove to go fishing. Their truck and mobile trailer were the only vehicles parked at the location. As W.I. left the trailer on an errand, an unknown male standing outside and to the right of the trailer's doorway immediately shot at him. The first shot missed; the second struck W.I. in his throat, then lodged under the skin on his shoulder. J.I. was struck three times by bullets fired through the trailer door as she attempted to retrieve her husband and close the door. The shooter made one more attempt to kill the couple by firing at them through another window in the mobile home, then fled the scene, escaping before rangers arrived. One of the bullets fired at J.I. entered her chest and exited through her back without hitting any vital organs; a second grazed her skull, and the third shattered a wrist. Doctors expect to release her from the hospital in a few days. W.I. was released, but will return in to have the bullet removed from his shoulder. The assailant is described as a white male between 22 and 25 years old, weighing 160 to 165 pounds and possessing an average build; he's clean shaven and has piercing blue, green or hazel eyes, a dark complexion, and a well-groomed, regular haircut. He was wearing a white tee shirt, a gray or blue unzipped jacket, and blue jeans. The weapon he used was a five- or six-shot revolver, which he fired from his right hand. No motor vehicle or boat was heard upon his getaway. [Mike Blandford, CI, LAME, 3/26]
The suspect in the shooting of J.I. and W.I. is now in custody. The suspect, a citizen of Scotland, had been visiting this country for several months. When he missed his airplane flight home, he became depressed and drove a rental car to Boxcar Cove to commit suicide. When the I.s arrived, they interrupted his plans, and he took out his anger by shooting them. The man then drove to Barstow, California, where he turned himself in at that city's police department. Investigators Blandford and De Munbrun took his confession on March 30th and were to take him before the magistrate for arraignment yesterday. [Bud Inman, LAME, 3/31]
J.D., 41, of Rio Grando, New Mexico, and a friend spent the afternoon of April 3rd diving in about 50 feet of water 200 feet off the shore of Boulder Beach. While on their way back in, they decided to make one last dive to use up their oxygen. When J.D. failed to surface, his companion made several fruitless rescue dives, then reported the incident to rangers. A park dive team responded; they failed to find J.D.'s body that evening, but recovered it in 30 feet of water at noon the following day. It appears that J.D.'s air ran out, and that he drowned because he was unable to release his borrowed and unfamiliar weight belt. [Scotty Olson, LAME, 4/5]
R.N., 34, and his cousin, T.Y., 28, both of Las Vegas, were boating on Lake Mohave early on the morning of April 8th when they decided to head up river. R.N. was at the helm, so T.Y. decided to take a nap. T.Y. awoke to a loud crash and found R.N. bent over the seat, with his legs wedged under the dash. The boat had apparently struck an object; the hull was seriously damaged, and the boat began to sink. R.N. was still conscious and complained that he could not feel his legs. T.Y., who had received minor injuries, was able to put a life jacket on R.N., drag him out of the boat, and bring him to the beach. Several Willow Beach concession maintenance workers arrived at about that time and told T.Y. that they would go nine miles up river to get help. By the time they returned, R.N. had expired. No efforts were made to resuscitate him. A joint investigation by the park and state wildlife officials is underway. [Terri Greene, LAME, 4/8]
Late on the morning of April 12th, a 60-foot houseboat belonging to Cottonwood Cove Resort fell sideways off a trailer as efforts were being made to retrieve it from Lake Mohave. Between 100 and 200 gallons of fuel were spilled on the public launch ramp; about 50 gallons apparently reached the lake before a berm was put in place. Absorbent materials were deployed in the water, and fire engines from nearby Searchlight and from the park's Boulder District responded to assist the crew of the Cottonwood Cove engine. The area was closed to public use because of the danger from the fuel and because of the potential for an explosion - the cabin and bow of the boat were filled with gas fumes, while the electrical supply remained connected to a 12-volt battery. The boat was secured, however, and a crane was used to pull it back onto the trailer for removal. Clean-up cost the concessioner about $35,000. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 4/12 and 4/13]
Rangers saw a boat operating erratically on the lake on the evening of April 11th. They stopped the vessel, and, during a consent search for weapons the operator said were on board, came upon 10.6 grams of crack cocaine and a small amount of marijuana. The weapons were found and identified as a 4- 10/.45 derringer and a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun. The derringer was capable of firing shotgun shells. The boat, a 1977, 23-foot Sleek Craft cabin cruiser with a 454 Chevrolet engine, was seized, and asset seizure/forfeiture procedures have been initiated. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 4/12]
Preparations for possible incidents at Lake Mead associated with the verdict in the Rodney King case began on Friday, April 9th, with the arrival of a ten-member Western Region special events team. In addition to augmenting park patrols, team members will assist the Lake Mead staff in providing law enforcement support to Boulder City. Backup support also will be provided for Lake Mead rangers who will staff structural fire trucks in the event of civil disturbances in Las Vegas. Two other ten-member Western Region teams are on six-hour standby - one comprised of rangers, the other of Park Police officers. Las Vegas was the scene of major unrest following the earlier trial, and police intelligence indicates that another siege can be expected. Intelligence recently received from San Diego police indicates that gangs plan on travelling by caravan to Las Vegas to create trouble following the issuance of the verdict. On April 14th, the park received a mutual aid request from Boulder City Police Department to augment its night patrol operation. Rangers have accordingly teamed up with Boulder City officers in their patrol cars. The park is also expecting impacts from a large motorcycle rally named "Hog Heaven II," which is being sponsored in Laughlin, Nevada, at the southern end of the park. The rally began yesterday and will continue through the 18th. Event organizers anticipate over 20,000 participants, including motorcycle enthusiasts and spectators. Gang members and their associates are expected to make up the largest number. Organizers arranged use of a county-administered park within Lake Mead's boundaries to provide camping space for the group. They also have arranged for various vendors and activities, including musical entertainment, games, events, and tatoo parlors. Different motorcycle clubs have reserved floors of rooms in the various Laughlin hotels and casinos (one group alone reserved 400 rooms in one property). Hotels are charging $1,000 per room cash deposit. Reports are that California Highway 62 between Palm Springs and Needles is bumper-to-bumper with motorcycles heading east towards Laughlin. Campgrounds at Katherine are nearly filled. Because many Metro Las Vegas officers have been reassigned to the city, there will be no jail facilities in the Laughlin area during the weekend; park personnel will therefore have to transport any prisoners from the southern end of the park to Las Vegas, a four hour round-trip. A planning meeting of cooperating law enforcement agencies was held yesterday in Bullhead City, Arizona - located across the river from Laughlin, Nevada - in preparation for the motorcycle rally. Incident commander Paul Henry attended along with the park's assistant chief ranger, criminal investigator and Park Police officer. Weekend plans are to cover both of the major visitor-use areas of the park. Four SET members will be assigned to Katherine Landing in the southern end of the park during the rally, leaving six members to augment the staff in the North Shore area. Las Vegas Metro police have also asked the park to help patrol the county-administered park within Lake Mead. [Capt. Mike O'Neal, RAD/WRO-SET commander, daily reports, 4/9-4/16]
Bones believed to be human were discovered along the Christmas Tree Pass Road on April 15th. A joint investigation between Las Vegas Metro police and park personnel is underway. Christmas Tree Pass Road is an unpaved road located on the Nevada side of Lake Mohave within the Katherine District of the recreation area. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 4/15]
No significant incidents of civil unrest occurred in the park or surrounding area following the announcement of the verdict in the Rodney King trial on Saturday, and Western Region's special events team (SET) was accordingly demobilized the following day. During the period from April 10th through midnight on April 17th, 43 arrests, one drowning death, and 112 significant law enforcement incidents were recorded in the park, including weapons violations and seizures, drug possession, fugitive arrests, larcenies, burglaries, OUI incidents, and gang activity investigations. By comparison, the average is six arrests in a normal week. SET members assisted rangers in the Katherine District during the "Hog Heaven II" motorcycle gang rally on Saturday and assisted in 18 arrests within the park, nine of which were felonies. Some of the gangs seen wearing colors within the Katherine area were the Bar Hoppers, Iron Crossmen, Hell's Angels, and Vagos. All gangs left the area at the end of the weekend. All equipment purchased for this operation will be stored at Lake Mead as part of a national cache for use throughout the National Park System. Anyone needing items from this cache should contact WASO Ranger Activities for approval, and it will be shipped from Lake Mead. [Capt. Mike O'Neal, RAD/WRO, 4/19]
H.K. and L.H. were boating on Lake Mead on April 4th when they got into a heated argument. H.K., 54, reportedly jumped overboard during the argument and swam away from the boat. L.H. did not immediately report the incident because he believed she was a strong swimmer and was not in danger. He did report her missing later that day, however, and a search was begun. Initial efforts were unsuccessful, but visitors reported her body floating in the lake on April 20th at a point several miles from where she'd last been seen. The coroner is conducting an investigation, but no foul play is thought to have occurred. Alcohol was reportedly a contributing factor. [Terry Greene, LAME, 4/21]
On May 7th, rangers found the bodies of 14 burros in the area of Scanlon Wash in the upper end of the park in the Gregg Basin. All had been shot, probably over the previous five days. Investigators climbed in and around ridges in the area on Saturday and found two more bodies. The area over which the animals were scattered is a mile and a half long and three- quarters mile wide; they were from a quarter to a half mile from the lakeshore. The animals were found individually and in small groups over three ridges. All had been shot by someone who was proficient with a high- powered rifle. Rangers hope to contact boaters who used the area last week to see if they can remember seeing anyone or hearing anything in that area during their visit. [Karen Whitney, PIO, LAME, 5/10]
C.F., wife of Zion superintendent D.F., was seriously injured in a boating accident near Temple Bar on the afternoon of May 11th. When one of the two houseboats being used for a federal managers meeting experienced engine problems, C.F., D.F., and D.M., a resource volunteer, went on 'waverunners' to make contact with the troubled boat. Upon returning, D.F. and C.F. boarded the lead houseboat from the rear. When C.F. attempted to mount the swim platform, her leg was sucked into the propeller. D.F. received minor lacerations while pulling her free. C.F. was given emergency treatment at the Temple Bar fuel docks, then evacuated by Flight for Life helicopter to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where she underwent surgery. D.F. was treated and released. C.F.'s most serious injury was to her left knee; both bones in her left leg were broken and muscles and tissue were damaged. The surgeon reconnected ligaments to the knee and repaired the bone. C.F. was to undergo further surgery yesterday to flush the area against possible infection and close the wound. She was also treated for cuts in the left thigh, the lower left leg, the right foot, and the lower right calf. Her prognosis is good at this time - at best, her range of motion may be limited; at worst, she may require a knee replacement. She may be able to go home this weekend. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 5/13]
Just after 8 p.m. on May 18th, rangers received a report of a boat and man on fire at Las Vegas Bay Marina. When they arrived on scene, the boat was fully engulfed in flames, but had been pushed from its mooring slip into open water. The victim, G.B., 41, had third degree burns on his arms, legs, face and head; he was air evacuated to the University Medical Center burn unit, where he is currently listed in critical but stable condition. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 5/19]
M.H., 35, of Henderson, Nevada, was arrested on May 23rd and charged with attempted murder following an assault on 32-year-old P.S. in Government Wash on May 21st. M.H. was charged with assaulting P.S. with an iron pipe and attempting to drown him by pushing his face under water. According to witnesses, the altercation began as a fist fight. P.S. received serious injuries to his face and skull from the pipe. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 5/24]
On May 31st, friends who went to visit L.G., 50, and R.L., 35, on their 25-foot cabin cruiser beached at Sandy Cove found L.G. dead and R.L. unconscious. Rangers and rescue personnel responded and began CPR on R.L.. She was then taken by Flight for Life to Valley Medical Center, where she was hospitalized in critical condition. An investigation into the incident is underway; foul play, however, has been ruled out. [Mike Blandford, LAME, 6/1]
On the afternoon of June 6th, a group of jet skiers were performing stunt maneuvers near Sandy Point when two skiers who were crossing boat wakes collided in mid-air. Responding paramedics determined that B.W., 26, of Fountain Valley, California, had suffered a shoulder dislocation. All vital signs were normal. B.W. was evacuated by a Department of Public Safety helicopter to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he subsequently died of massive internal chest injuries. [Scot Olson, Dispatch, LAME, 6/7]
Two Nevada hunters recently pled no contest to state charges of unlawfully taking an adult ram in the Willow Beach area on the Arizona side of the Colorado River last December. Rangers assisted Nevada, Arizona and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents in the investigation, which revealed that the two had been hunting legally in Nevada, then crossed into Arizona by boat during the final days of the Nevada sheep season. Arizona hunters who were legally stalking a sheep saw it shot and became suspicious when the hunters gutted the animal quickly, then left the area without tagging the carcass. The site of the kill was later found by investigators and it was determined that the illegal hunters had gone to the extent of moving the gut pile to the Nevada side of the river. Descriptions of the pair provided by witnesses matched descriptions of two hunters who had checked a sheep in at a Nevada wildlife department office on the same day. Conviction on the criminal charges resulted in maximum fines against both men, one of whom had previously been a licensed guide in Nevada. Civil proceedings now in progress may result in a five-year revocation of hunting rights for both individuals and $10,000 in monetary restitution for the value of the 9 1/2- year-old, 167-point ram. [Susan Warner, LAME, 6/18]
R.L., 35, of Long Beach, California, was swimming with a group of 13 of his friends at Crappy Cove near Temple Bar on the night of June 26th when he lost his swimming trunks. He told his friends that he wasn't coming out of the water until he was given a pair of shorts; his friends, however, went back inside their houseboat and continued their party, which involved a great deal of alcohol. When they noticed his disappearance later that evening, they searched the area with boat lights without results. Rangers were notified of the incident the following morning and found R.L. in 14 feet of water, apparently a drowning victim. [Joel Walters, LAME, 6/28]
Park VIPs discovered the body of 23-year-old E.M. of Las Vegas in about twelve feet of water at Box Car Cove just after 1 p.m. on June 30th. E.M. was fully dressed in T-shirt, shorts and sneakers, and had apparently been submerged for six to eight hours. It's believed that he may have been boldering, lost his footing and fell into the lake. Identification was made by checking the license plate number on an abandoned vehicle which was found to be his. [Terry Green, LAME, 7/1]
D.K., 60, of Las Vegas was with a group in the Boulder Beach area on July 4th when he went swimming in the lake. D.K., who had been drinking heavily, began struggling about 150 yards from shore, then disappeared under the lake's surface. When efforts to find him proved fruitless, D.K.'s companions contacted rangers. Ranger Malcolm Demunbrun and a Life Flight helicopter responded. The victim was located about ten minutes after Demunbrun arrived, but CPR efforts were unsuccessful. [Andres Fujiwara, LAME, 7/6]
A three-vehicle accident injuring ten people occurred on Highway 93 just south of Hoover Dam just before 9 p.m. on July 5th. Arizona DPS contacted the park shortly thereafter and requested major fire, medical and traffic assistance. Two park engines, the Boulder District medical rescue unit and four patrol units responded. Boulder Beach Engine Four personnel extricated two victims who were trapped in their vehicles. Three victims who were critically injured were transported by Flight for Life and DPS helicopters, and six others were treated and transported by park and Kingman, Arizona, ambulances. Total emergency units on scene consisted of two helicopters, the two park structural engines, one park rescue unit, the Kingman ambulance, and nine DPS and NPS patrol units. Highway 93, which is a major route from Phoenix to Las Vegas, was blocked for over three hours, with traffic backed up over six miles. [CRO, LAME, 7/7]
On July 3rd, rangers arrested D.M., 20, of Kingman, Arizona, for possession of drug manufacturing equipment which was found during a probable cause search of his vehicle at South Telephone Cove. A drug dog helped rangers to find a complete portable methamphetamine laboratory, including glassware, cooking reactor, drying system and filtering system. The lab, which was capable of producing up to one pound of methamphetamine per cooking, was unique in that it was operated from a battery park. Recipes and manufacturing instructions for LSD and DMT were also found. The lab is compact and can be operated booth indoors or outdoors. [Mike Blandford, LAME, 7/13]
B.B., 38, of Laughlin, Nevada, and M.B., 40, of Bullhead City, Nevada, went water skiing near Katherine's Landing on July 6th. When M.B. returned the boat to its owner later that day, he was alone. M.B. told the boat's owner that he'd killed "the little surfer dude", then left the area. B.B.'s body surfaced near the water intake barge at Katherine's Landing on July 14th. An investigation into the incident is underway. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/17]
On August 15th, M.G.-A., 27, of Las Vegas, Nevada, jumped from his boat in Las Vegas Bay Harbor and began swimming around. He eventually became fatigued and sank beneath the lake's surface. Park rangers responded and recovered his body, which was transported by helicopter to a local hospital. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/17]
A.C., 71, drowned on August 27th when he accidentally backed the car he was driving off the causeway at Lake Mead marina and into ten feet of water. [Teresa Green, LAME, 9/7]
Hikers found several bones and tattered clothing in the Pipe Line Road area on September 1st and brought them to Las Vegas police. Rangers were notified and an investigation has been initiated. The bones appear to be those of a woman, but neither the identity nor cause of death has been determined. [Terri Greene, LAME, 9/7]
L.W.S. was arrested on two counts of sexual assault while employed as a ranger at Lake Mead in 1991. L.W.S. was terminated from employment with the NPS and found guilty of one count of open or gross lewdness (a gross misdemeanor in Nevada) on November 12, 1991. L.W.S. subsequently appealed his conviction to the state's supreme court. On May 28th, the appeal was dismissed in a unanimous decision by that court. [Mike Blandford, LAME, 9/9]
On the evening of September 21st, H.M. and his family were visiting the Cabin Point site in the Katharine area on Lake Mohave. H.M. and his wife were outside of their 1974 van, which was parked on an incline, when one of the four children inside accidentally knocked it out of gear and it rolled into the lake at a point where the water is about 25 feet deep. H.M. immediately dove in the water and rescued his two sons before the vehicle turned over, but was unable to reach his two daughters, ages one and three, and drowned while attempting to save them. Rangers and Bullhead City officers were notified and responded to the scene. Bullhead City divers recovered the bodies of the two girls from the van. [Dispatch, LAME, 9/22]
On October 7th, rangers arrested M.P., a felon who'd escaped from the Clark Center, a halfway house in Las Vegas. M.P. had provided false information to rangers the day before, but investigation led to the discovery of his true identity. M.P. had been awaiting trial in Las Vegas for an April, 1993 bank robbery. He was arrested without incident. [Mike Blandford, LAME, 10/12]
The park received a report of a vehicle over the side of the Callville Bay access road on the afternoon of October 15th. Responding rangers found a Toyota pickup truck and the bodies of its two occupants - J.B. and C.H., both 19 and from Las Vegas. It was subsequently learned that the pair had been missing since October 9th. [Terri Greene, LAME, 10/19]
G.P., 58, of Descanso, California, was reported missing on October 20th after he accidentally fell overboard from his boat at Sandy Point in Cottonwood Cove. The park's four-member dive team subsequently recovered his body. [Terri Greene, LAME, 10/21]
Actor J.-M.V. underwent surgery on October 24th after a dog bit off a thumb-sized part of his lip following a boat race on the lake. The incident occurred during a dockside victory celebration after J.-M.V. won a Pacific Offshore Powerboat Racing Association race. J.-M.V. reached down to pet a Rottweiler that was there with its owners. The owners warned J.-M.V. not to touch the dog; when he continued to do so, the dog nipped at him and took off part of his lip. The dog was taken by rangers to a Boulder animal shelter, then released to its owners the following day. [St. Louis Post Dispatch, 10/26]
Late on the evening of November 6th, ranger Ryan Regnell responded to a complaint of a dispute between campers at Las Vegas Bay campground. During the investigation, A.W., who was apparently under the influence of alcohol, attacked Regnell with a pair of tennis shoes that he was carrying. After a brief struggle, A.W. was taken into custody. He was charged with assault on a federal office and possession of a controlled substance. Regnell sustained minor cuts and a torn uniform. [Mike Blandford, LAME, 11/10]
Rangers responding to a visitor's report on February 3rd found the body of A.B., 39, of Yuma, Arizona, inside a burned-out vehicle in Gypsum Wash. The cause of death is unknown. Las Vegas Metro officers are investigating the death. [Dispatch, LAME, 2/4]
B.H., 55, of Las Vegas, Nevada, fell from his boat at Callville Bay Marina on February 20th and sank underwater before anyone could reach him. Two divers from a nearby boat volunteered to assist rangers in the search for the victim's body, which was recovered in 75 feet of water after about three hours. The cause of death has not yet been determined. According to witnesses, B.H. had just stepped from the dock onto the stern of his 34- foot SeaRay when he apparently slipped and fell face down into the water. [Andres Fujiwara, LAME, 2/22]
A.G., 35, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was killed on April 5th when his vehicle went through a guardrail and plunged 100 feet to the bottom of a canyon. A.G. was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. There were no witnesses to the accident. [Randy Evans, LAME, 4/6]
Just before midnight on April 10th, a 29-year-old Las Vegas man was found floating in the lake's water by a fisherman. He was taken to the Hemenway launch ramp and rangers were notified. According to the rescued man, who was subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment of hypothermia, his wife, their 15-month-old baby, and a second man were with him in a 19-foot ski boat when it began developing problems near the Hemenway Wall area of the lake earlier that evening. While the operator attempted to restart the boat's engine, it began taking on water over the stern and sinking rapidly. The rescued man lost contact with the others in his party shortly after entering the water. A search for the three missing people was immediately begun. Debris believed to be from the boat was found off Promontory Point at the entrance to the Black Canyon area. The body of the infant, who was wearing a PFD (life jacket), was found around 3 a.m., but no sign was found of the other two victims. They were last seen clinging to an ice chest; neither was wearing a PFD. At the time of the report, a search for the pair was underway. [Karen Whitney, PIO, LAME, 4/11]
The park and Mohave County sheriff's office have closed 43 felony investigations from the past two years with the arrest of a number of Bullhead City juveniles. Twenty of the felonies occurred at Katherine Landing and included five cases of vehicle arson, a vehicle theft, and a number of auto and boat burglaries. Stolen articles were used by the suspects to finance the purchase of narcotics. The suspects will stand trial as adults on all 43 counts. One 17-year-old has accepted a plea bargain for a prison sentence of 15 years. A major break in the case came when an assault victim provided rangers at Katherine with a detailed description of the getaway car. That description led to the youths' arrest by county deputies. [Bud Inman, LAME, 4/14]
One man was killed and three other men were injured in a head-on collision involving four vehicles on US 93 just north of the Alan Bible Visitor Center on May 15th. The driver of a 1989 pickup attempted to pass another vehicle at a high rate of speed and hit an oncoming pickup. The latter spun and struck two other vehicles. The victim was thrown from the back of the first truck onto the roadway, then run over by that truck. The driver was arrested on a charge of felony reckless driving resulting in a death. Wreckage from the four vehicles was scattered all along the roadside; traffic was backed up for five miles and ultimately diverted along Lakeshore Road for the five hours it took to clear the highway. [Bud Inman, ACR, LAME, 5/18]
On the afternoon of May 15th, R.D., 35, of Las Vegas, drowned at Pillar Cove. R.D. had driven to 33 Hole in the park with his family about an hour before the incident occurred. R.D. had set out to swim across the cove when a 10-year-old boy behind him began calling for help. R.D. turned back to swim to the boy, but began having difficulty himself. R.D.'s brother and son dove in the water from the opposite side of the cove to help the two swimmers. His brother reached the area first and assisted the child, not knowing that his brother was experiencing difficulties. The son swam to him, but was unable to keep him from going under. Other visitors arrived on scene and attempted to help. Rangers were contacted by cellular phone from one of the boats. Help arrived on scene within minutes, but R.D. had been underwater 20 minutes by that time. The park dive team was called to the scene and recovered R.D.'s body from about 15 feet of water. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/17]
On Sunday, May 22nd, a visitor contacted rangers and reported that a group of six to eight juveniles had attempted to carjack his vehicle near The Cliffs on Northshore Road. Although they were unsuccessful, they were able to damage the car with rocks. All parties subsequently left the area. The victim was able to describe his assailants' sedan, and the car was subsequently stopped by rangers and Las Vegas officers. The juveniles were associated with the Donner Street Crips gang in Las Vegas. One subject was arrested by rangers and will be charged in federal court. [Eunice Van Kuren, LAME, 5/24]
Four men who were fishing in the Cottonwood area of Lake Mohave at 4:30 a.m. on May 24th were approached by three masked individuals possessing long arm type weapons. One of the fisherman fled the area; two others hid while awaiting the opportunity to flee; the fourth was abducted and held at gunpoint. The abducted fisherman was robbed of $180, then thrown into Lake Mohave. Ranger Glen Anderson and investigator Ernie Soper were called to the scene in response to a 911 call from one of the fishermen who'd fled the area. They were able to positively identify one of the individuals, who is believed to be a member of the S-M gang in Las Vegas. Investigators have consulted with the state's district attorney's office; arrest warrants are now being prepared. [John Marsh, LAME, 5/25]
On May 25th, Las Vegas police and Lake Mead rangers, acting on an anonymous tip, recovered the bodies of two people who had been killed, wrapped in cloth, and buried in a shallow desert grave near Calville Bay. The victims - S.R., 40, and J.S., 27 - had been reported missing in Las Vegas on February 19th. Three persons have been arrested and charged with the murders. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/25]
On Wednesday, May 18th, Cottonwood Cove rangers were notified by a park visitor that a man and a woman in a low profile bass boat were overdue for a scheduled pickup at the cove. The visitor also said that the boat was very narrow in construction and easily swamped, and that the operator has in fact swamped the boat on at least three previous occasions. At the time of the report, winds were blowing at 40 mph and waters were rough, and it was feared that the boat had capsized in open water. A search was begun by air and water of all of Lake Mohave. Debris was spotted by Bruce Lennon, the park pilot, but it was eventually determined that it was not associated with the bass boat. On the morning of the 19th, Lennon located the boat tucked into some brush in a small cove on the northeast side of the lake. The couple didn't realize that they were due back the previous morning and were having a great time. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/24]
M.D., 18, was killed on the afternoon of May 29th when he fell from a collapsed parasail while he and his family were testing their new parasailing equipment in the 33 Hole area near Las Vegas Bay. M.D. was about 50 to 75 feet in the air behind a ski boat when the parasail collapsed and he fell into the water, landing on his left side. M.D. was transported by boat to the Las Vegas Bay launch ramp, then airlifted by helicopter to a local hospital, where he died shortly thereafter. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/31]
At 2 a.m. on May 29th, a security guard at the Lake Mohave Resort observed two people, one in a wetsuit, swimming among the boats in the resort's marina. The two swam away when the guard approached and asked them to identify themselves. One of them eluded arrest, but the other, a 17-year- old male, was apprehended as he tried to leave the water. Ernie Soper, the park's criminal investigator, interviewed the young man; Soper determined that the pair were in fact in the process of burglarizing boats, and that his partner was probably hiding back at their camp in the sand dunes. The partner, E.B., 18, was apprehended and questioned regarding the pair's activities that night and about prior burglaries in the area. The two men stated that there was also a third party, who was the group's ring leader. They provided descriptions of property that had been stolen in prior burglaries, and the house in which these items were stored. A search warrant was secured and served on a residence in Bullhead City, Arizona. Numerous items were discovered, including property stolen in burglaries in the Katherine area. J.F., 18, was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, theft, and tampering. The juvenile was on parole from a juvenile facility in Phoenix and was therefore turned over to the county. Charges are pending against E.B. Bullhead City police and Mohave County deputies are continuing the investigation and hope to clear many more burglaries. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/1]
The park had a very busy Memorial Day weekend, with over 200,000 people visiting the area over the three-day period. One indicator of the degree of activity: Visitors had to wait for up to an hour and a half to retrieve their boats from the water at the park's launch ramps. Lake Mead's 40 commissioned rangers (down 11 from the authorized level) were augmented by officers and personnel from the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Bullhead Police Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The park volunteer staff also provided excellent support by keeping traffic moving and providing information to visitors at launch ramps. Significant incidents during the weekend included: * The rescue of a visitor from drowning near Katherine by district interpretive ranger Rex Norman. While operating his personal water craft near Katherine Harbor, he spotted a boat sinking. Upon arrival, he found a woman who was not wearing a life preserver trying to save some belongings from the boat. When she began having difficulties staying afloat, Norman jumped in and pulled her to a nearby boat. * An assault on ranger Andy Rivas during a car stop. Rivas' assailant was booked into county jail, where he was severely beaten by other prisoners, allegedly for "having a bad attitude". When removed to an isolation cell, he attempted to hang himself; rangers were accordingly required to keep a 24-hour watch on him in the hospital from Sunday until Tuesday, when he was returned to jail. * The previously reported death of M.D., 18, in a fall while parasailing. * The treatment and medevac by Echo Bay rangers of a visitor who received massive prop cuts to his upper leg when he dove into the water and was hit by a houseboat operated by a member of his party. * The near drowning of a visitor who crashed his jet ski into a rock and was pulled from the lake after being thrown into the water face down and unconscious. * Transport of a young man to a hospital after he was injured while trying to jump back and forth between houseboats during the night. * Numerous contacts with Los Angeles and Las Vegas street gang members, who came to the park in groups of five to 20. Gang members caused serious concern to other visitors when they brandished or talked about weapons they had with them, but all incidents were handled without problem. Over the course of the weekend, rangers issued 222 violation notices (many more were given by Nevada and Arizona officers) and made 41 arrests. Among the latter were 15 arrests for drunk driving, eight arrests for possession or sale of a controlled substance, four fugitive warrant arrests, and one murder warrant arrest. Rangers also responded to 85 water rescues, 20 EMS incidents, 13 boating and two motor vehicle accidents, 10 larcenies, two burglaries, two vehicle thefts, two weapons violations, and a boat fire. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/6]
Early on the morning of May 11th, the government dock at Lake Mead was entered illegally. A park patrol boat was vandalized, and the marine radio and other equipment were taken. A witness was able to provide rangers with the license number of the suspects' vehicle, which was registered in Oregon, and physical descriptions of both of them. Criminal investigator Malcolm Demunbrun was able to track down the two individuals, both of whom live in the Las Vegas area. They were charged with burglary and confessed to the crime. They will appear in court on June 21st. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/6]
G.L.S., 31, was seriously injured on June 5th when he dove off a 25 foot cliff near the launch ramp at Government Wash and landed on his head in shallow water less than a foot deep. G.L.S. was assisted by two park visitors at the scene, who then employed a recently-installed solar powered emergency telephone at the launch ramp to summon help. Rangers and the park rescue team stabilized G.L.S., after which he was medevaced by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he is in critical condition. One of the visitors who provided initial aid, an Air Force security policeman, reported that he'd seen G.L.S. prior to the accident, and that G.L.S. had been intoxicated. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/6]
On May 29th, ranger Bob Carnes observed a vehicle whose operator was apparently under the influence of alcohol and stopped it near Government Wash on Northshore Road. While Carnes was performing field sobriety tests on the driver, G.V.-Q., park dispatch informed him that G.V.-Q. was wanted by Las Vegas police for attempted murder, three counts of sexual assault with great bodily harm, and one count of kidnapping. G.V.-Q. was arrested on the warrants and transported to a Las Vegas jail. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/8]
Nine vehicles in the Boulder Beach, Las Vegas Wash, Callville and Katherine areas were burglarized and vandalized on June 9th. Entry was gained by breaking the vehicles' rear wind wing windows. A pickup truck at Las Vegas Wash also had all its windows smashed; another pickup was stolen at about the same time, and that theft is believed to be related to the burglaries. The latter was subsequently found at an apartment complex in Las Vegas. Ranger have not yet been able to contact most vehicle owners to determine the amount of loss, but one owner claimed losses in excess of $2,000. Investigations are continuing. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/10]
J.L.M., 22, of Las Vegas, was swimming near Hemenway Fishing Point on June 12th when he began to have difficulties and called for help. Several friends attempted to rescue him, but were unsuccessful. A dive team later recovered his body. [Grace Gerken, LAME, 6/13]
On June 6th, the park received a report that a man had disappeared while sailboarding off Boulder Beach. The reporting party said that the man had not returned to his vehicle by 6:30 p.m., and that he'd last been seen wearing a black helmet and white T-shirt but no life jacket. Rangers located a vehicle registered to J.P., 38, of Las Vegas, in the parking lot. A land and water search for J.P. was begun and continued through the following day with the assistance of an Arizona state police helicopter. During the day, a visitor brought a sailboard that he'd found at the entrance to Callville Bay to rangers at that location. The bay is about ten miles across the lake from the point where J.P. was last seen. J.P. did not show up for work as scheduled and has not contacted either family or friends. He had only moderate experience sailboarding. The search has been discontinued. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/10]
A.C., 28, of no known address, was arrested by rangers on 12 burglary counts after he was observed attempting to remove property from boats in the Lake Mead Marina dry storage area on June 11th. Rangers located several caches of stolen property while searching for A.C. and found numerous knives, a spear gun, water skis, life jackets and other property. A.C. is an itinerant who has been living in the desert for several months. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/13]
A Grateful Dead concert in Las Vegas led to a dramatic increase in visitation - a total of almost 80,000 people - to the Boulder Basin area of the park over the period from Thursday, June 24th, to Sunday, June 27th. Rangers from Organ Pipe, Death Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Grand Canyon and Hubble Trading Post were called in to assist; also involved were Boulder City police and Nevada highway patrol officers. Checkpoints were established in the Boulder District, which made it possible for rangers to control the situation. An undercover investigative team worked the camping areas and made 16 narcotics cases, including eight for felony possession of hashish, valium, mushrooms and marijuana. A 1991 Dodge truck, a 1992 Lincoln Continental and over $1200 were seized. Cases were also made on sales of t-shirts, possession of paraphernalia, driving under the influence, resisting arrest, vandalism and numerous traffic offenses. Due to the high weekend temperatures, which reached 122 degrees, there were numerous cases of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. One jet ski accident occurred in which a male rider received multiple injuries. There was a structural fire involving highly flammable explosive materials in a boat repair area on Friday. Two engines with their crews were dispatched and suppressed the mid-afternoon blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation; spontaneous combustion seems likely. A boat explosion occurred at Katherine's Landing during the weekend. Bullhead city units responded. Only two of the five people on board were injured. Investigation revealed that a flame arrestor on the carburetor was loose and that the blower motor was inoperable. Rounding out the weekends events were two lightning-caused wildfires, two boat fires, three burglaries, a stolen vehicle, and 19 medical calls - three requiring advanced life support. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 7/5]
J.L.M., 22, of Las Vegas, was swimming about 40 yards offshore near Hemenway fishing point on the evening of June 12th when he began calling for help. Another park visitor, M.M., swam to J.L.M.'s assistance, but was unable to hold him above water. Park rangers and divers responded to the scene but were unable to quickly locate J.L.M.. His body was found later that evening. While the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation, it's believed that Meija became tired while swimming. This is the fourth drowning at Lake Mead this year. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 7/5]
H.D., 34, of Las Vegas, died on July 3rd of injuries sustained in a personal watercraft accident that occurred on Lake Mohave on the morning of June 26th. H.D. was the first of three people riding personal watercraft in a "follow-the-leader" game between tamarisk bushes in shallow water along the shore in Liberty Cove on the Arizona side of the lake. According to one of the riders, they were traveling about 35 to 40 feet apart and running at speeds around 35 miles per hour. H.D. rode between two bushes about a dozen feet from shore; the person following him passed between the same bushes and struck H.D., who had apparently fallen from his machine into the water. He was taken in critical condition to University Medical Center, where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/5]
R.F., 35, fell about 900 feet to his death from Twin Point on the Shivwits Plateau in a remote section of the park sometime on the evening of July 2nd. R.F., who had just moved to St. George, Utah, was camping with a female companion at a campsite on the end of Twin Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon. He left camp at 7 p.m., stating that he was going to look for a way to hike down into the canyon. When he failed to return, his friend reported him missing to NPS fire personnel at the Shivwits fire camp on the morning of July 3rd. Air and hasty ground searches were initiated and a full SAR team was summoned from Lake Mead. Air Force and BLM helicopters also joined in the search effort. NPS ground searchers found R.F.'s body on the morning of July 4th. He apparently went over the edge 35 yards from the camp, fell about 450 feet, hit a ledge, rolled over the side, and fell another 450 feet before his fall was arrested by a tree. Technical rock climbing was required to reach the victim, whose body was subsequently airlifted from the scene. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/11]
Two persons were killed and a third seriously injured in a boat accident in the park on Sunday, July 10th. The boat was being operated at a high rate of speed when it crashed into rocks along the shoreline as the operator was returning to Callville Bay through Boulder Canyon. Killed were S.J., 39, the boat's operator, and R.J., 47, both of Las Vegas. A 16-year-old male who was also a passenger in the boat was taken to Callville Bay by boat, then flown to a hospital, where he remains in serious condition. The accident is under investigation. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/11]
P.L., 42, and A.T., 54, both of Las Vegas, drowned on the evening of June 29th when their 15-foot, open-bow boat capsized northeast of Fish Island at the mouth of the Virgin River. The other six passengers in the boat - five adults and a two-year-old child - were rescued by park visitors. Rangers received a report of the accident about 45 minutes after it occurred and responded along with an Air Force rescue helicopter and a Flight for Life helicopter. Divers searched for the victims that night and the following morning, but were unable to locate them. They were found on July 1st when the park pilot spotted them from the air. Two adults and the child were taken to a city hospital and are listed in stable condition. Three others were checked at the scene and found to be uninjured. Only the child was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. An investigation is underway. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/11]
J.W., 22, of Boulder City, went out to the water intake tower on Saddle Island with several friends on July 15th to jump from the tower into the lake. After J.W. jumped in, his friends saw him surface and heard him say something; he then briefly floated face down before disappearing beneath the lake's surface. A boat search proved fruitless. No dive efforts were made because the lake is too deep in the area where J.W. drowned. [Terri Greene, LAME, 7/18]
A.G., 52, of Henderson, Nevada, was driving on Lakeshore Road when he failed to negotiate a curve. His car left the roadway, flew about 65 feet through the air, then struck a small hill. A.G. was killed on impact. Alcohol was a factor in the accident. This was the park's 29th fatality this year. [Terri Greene, LAME, 7/18]
Sixteen-year-old A.S.G. of Puerto Rico drowned while playing ball with his family and friends in Lake Mead on the afternoon of July 13th. A.S.G. and other young people were playing with a ball in shallow water on a point of land at 8.0 Wash just south of Northshore Road. The wind caught the ball and blew it into deeper water and A.S.G. went after it. He stepped off a steep underwater embankment which is covered with very soft sand, lost his footing, and sank into deep water. Family members were not able to reach him before he sank out of sight. Park divers recovered his body later that afternoon. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 7/20]
On July 14th, B.F., 19, of Las Vegas, Nevada, admitted himself to Boulder City Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound received while in the park. B.F. and five of his friends, members of a large gang known as the "Flip Side Phenoi" gang, were reportedly fishing in the El Dorado Canyon area of Lake Mohave, a remote location 25 miles south of Boulder City. Two other fishermen were about 50 feet away when they arrived in the area around 2 a.m., but members of F.'s group said that no words were exchanged with them. About ten minutes after their arrival, one of the two fishermen opened fire on B.F. and his friends; the second fisherman soon removed a gun from his tackle box and also opened fire. B.F. felt a bullet strike him in the arm and jumped into the water. B.F.'s assailants fled the area, stopping long enough to smash the windows of the two vehicles belonging to F.'s group. Investigating rangers discovered ten spent .22 shell casings and one .25 shell casing at the scene. The two assailants are believed to belong to a rival gang called "The International Brotherhood of Phenoi." [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/20]
On the morning of July 17th, G.S., 25, and her sons, Jo., six, and Ju., two, left their campsite in search of another campsite. At some point, their vehicle apparently became wedged between two rocks and they attempted to walk out. G.S. expired in the roadway in the wash bottom, where her body was later found. A search was begun for her children, and Ju.'s body was found further up the wash. The park's search and rescue helicopter subsequently found their vehicle. Searchers from Metro SAR found Jo.'s body further down the wash on a rocky knoll. Metro police homicide detectives are investigating the incident. The three fatalities bring the total number of deaths in the park this year to 32. [Terri Greene, LAME, 7/26]
Early on the morning of August 16th, a fisherman near Las Vegas Wash found a body floating in the lake. Rangers recovered the body of an unidentified man; preliminary examination indicates that the death occurred under suspicious circumstances. The body was removed by the coroner's office and an autopsy is scheduled. Park investigators and Las Vegas Metro homicide investigators are working the case. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/16]
A visitor who was walking his dog along East Lake Mead Boulevard on August 27th came upon the remains of a woman in her mid- to late twenties. According to the coroner, the victim had been murdered. Park and city criminal investigators are investigating her death, the park's 37th fatality this year. [Terri Greene, LAME, 8/28]
Around 4:30 p.m. on September 3rd, the Gold Strike Casino, which is in the
park near the visitor center on U.S. 93, reported an armed robbery in their
park area. Park rangers and local officers responded. The victim reported
that a man with a semi-automatic type weapon attempted to steal his 1994
R.G., 27, of Houston, Texas, drowned just north of the lunch ramp courtesy dock at Government Wash on the afternoon of September 20th. According to witnesses, R.G. was swimming across a narrow cove about 50 yards wide when he screamed, then went under water. One of witnesses, Toth Andras of Las Vegas, swam to where to the point where R.G. went under, but was unable to locate him because of the murky water in the area. Andras then swam back to shore and hailed a park patrol boat that had just arrived in the area. The ranger radioed for the park's dive team, which located the victim approximately 25 yards from shore in 14 feet of water. [Bud Inman, LAME, 9/22]
On December 12th, park dispatch received a report of an erratic driver in the vicinity of the Katherine's Landing access road. Responding rangers discovered a single-car rollover accident. The operator, 45-year-old R.H. of Tucson, Arizona, was critically injured and was air-lifted from the park to a local trauma center. He died the following morning from injuries sustained in the accident. Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor. [Grace Gerken, LAME, 12/13]
The body of a woman in her late 20s or early 30s was found in an area frequented by transient campers along East Lake Mead Boulevard around 4 a.m. on December 18th. The victim was only partly clothed and had apparently been the victim of a sexual assault. Las Vegas police took over the investigation when it was determined that the crime scene was just outside the park's boundary. Several 9mm shell casings were found at the scene. Campers in the area reported hearing several gunshots between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., but stated that they hadn't thought much of them because gunshots are so common in the area. The victim has not yet been identified. [Bud Inman, LAME, 12/27]
On December 19th, a fire broke out at a construction project at Echo Wash bridge on Northshore Road. A 50-gallon propane tank ignited and the fire quickly spread to several other pieces of construction equipment. A four- person crew and engine from Echo Bay made the initial attack and were soon supported by another park unit from Callville Bay, a Clark County pumper, and a medical unit from Logandale. The construction site was evacuated and traffic on the road was stopped for about 90 minutes. There were no injuries. A mobile concrete cutter, a mixing tank, and about a dozen wooden guardrail posts were destroyed. The exact cause of blaze is unknown, but it appears that a spark from a piece of equipment may have ignited a propane leak. [Bud Inman, LAME, 12/27]
U.S. 93, the main north-south highway between Phoenix and Las Vegas, was blocked for about 15 hours on January 3rd after a tractor trailer tipped over between the park visitor center and Hoover Dam. The truck, which was carrying about 50,000 pounds of frozen potatoes, ended up hanging over a cliff edge. Traffic was rerouted south on U.S. 95 to Laughlin and Kingman while the road was blocked. The driver was uninjured. [Malcolm DeMunbrun, LAME, 1/5]
On January 21st, a visitor in the Nelson's Landing area of the park found a skull which appeared to have a bullet in it. A joint search by rangers and Metro PD officers led to the discovery of additional remains; they apparently were originally placed in a cargo trunk, which was then burned and thrown down a wash. The victim was subsequently identified as 64-year-old R.R. of Las Vegas. A joint investigation into the murder is underway. [Grace Gerken, LAME, 1/24]
J.C., 19, an airman from Nellis Air Force Base, was climbing with friends in the East River Mountains on January 28th when he decided to check out a cave below them. On his way back to the group, he reached for a rock that gave way, fell 60 feet, then tumbled another 40 feet. He died of severe head trauma. The park's SAR team responded and evacuated the body. [CRO, LAME, 1/30]
Rangers and park investigators arrested J.M., 40, of Las Vegas, after an altercation at Government Wash on the evening of April 8th. J.M. allegedly held a 9mm hand gun to the victim's head, then beat him. Two semi-automatic hand guns were seized from participants in the fight. [Malcom Demumbrun, LAME, 4/17]
M.B., 38, fell between 20 and 30 feet down the 4.2 Cliffs off Northshore Road on the afternoon of April 8th. He landed on rocks at the base of the cliff and suffered serious injuries to his face and neck. A private vessel took him to Las Vegas Boat Harbor, where he was picked up and taken to the trauma unit at a local hospital. [Bud Inman, LAME, 4/17]
G.F., 39, of Las Vegas fell about 20 feet while scrambling over large boulders in Gold Strike Canyon on the morning of May 3rd. A companion reported the incident to boaters o the river below Hoover Dam. Park and Las Vegas police SAR teams responded and evacuated G.F. by ground, boat and air to a hospital in Las Vegas, where he's listed in serious but stable condition. [Bob Belden, LAME, 5/4]
An altercation broke out between two groups at an area known as 33 Hole in Las Vegas Bay around 2 a.m. on July 6th. The fight began with rock throwing, but ended with the stabbing of two 20-year-old men. Friends of the victims drove them to a local hospital, where one of them died. The remaining victim is in critical condition. [Andre Fujiwara, LAME]
An altercation broke out between two groups at Hole in Las Vegas Bay around 2 a.m. on July 6th. The fight began with rock throwing, but ended with the stabbing of two 20-year-old men. Friends of the victims drove them to a local hospital, where one of them died. On July 13th, A.T., 22, of Henderson, Nevada, was arrested on a warrant charging him with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. His bail has been set at $500,00. The case was investigated jointly by NPS criminal investigator Malcolm DeMunbrun and Las Vegas police detectives. A.T.'s second victim remains in the hospital, but is expected to recover. [CRO, LAME]
S.G., 19, was shot in the right knee while in the 4.2 Cliffs area on the afternoon of July 16th. The park learned of the incident after S.G. was taken to a hospital, and investigators pieced together the sequence of events following an interview with him. S.G. and two companions were walking down toward the lake from the cliffs when they met several other young adults coming up from the parking area. S.G. and a member of the other group exchanged words, and one of the other members of that group pulled out a small automatic handgun and fired three of four shots as S.G. and his friends were running back toward their car. One of the shots hit him in the soft tissue area of the knee. The doctor who treated him said that he'd been struck by a .22 caliber round. S.G. would not identify his companions, could not describe his assailants or any vehicles in the area, and declined to pursue the matter. The exact location of the incident remains unknown, and a general sweep of the area by rangers failed to produce any shell casings. S.G.'s mother told investigators that he often gets into encounters of this type because of his verbal exchanges with people. The case has been closed. [Bud Inman, LAME]
Rangers at Katherine received a tip from a cooperating law enforcement agency that an undercover officer was unable to make contact with a suspect from Tucson who had arranged to sell the officer a quarter pound of marijuana, and that the suspect was probably camped on a beach at Katherine. Night patrol rangers were advised and found the suspect and several friends. Drugs and paraphernalia were in plain view, as was a .32 caliber pistol. A search led to the discovery of both the marijuana and methamphetamine. Three people were arrested for simple possession and possession of dangerous drugs for sale. Their vehicle was seized. [Bud Inman, LAME]
Two visitors near Horse Power Cove at Boulder Beach came upon a body floating in the lake on the afternoon of August 4th. Rangers subsequently recovered the body of an adult male from the shallow water just off the shoreline. He had been shot in the back several times, and rocks had been tied to his body in an apparent attempt to prevent its discovery. Park and Las Vegas investigators are conducting the investigation. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME]
Ranger Bill VanInwagen was on patrol at a remote beach area on the north shore of Lake Mead on August 5th when he saw a young boy struggling in the water about 500 feet from shore. The boy, D.K., 12, was attempting to swim to an island where his mother was caring for seven other children. D.K. was yelling for help and having trouble staying above the surface of the water. VanInwagen dove into the water, swam to D.K.'s location, and employed live- saving techniques to bring him to shore. D.K. told him that he'd become too tired to swim further and couldn't have gone on. D.K. would likely have drowned without VanInwagen's intervention. [Bud Inman, LAME]
A severe thunderstorm struck the Boulder Beach area on the afternoon of August 12th. Offshore winds in excess of 50 mph and heavy rain struck with little warning. Ranger Tom Valenta was directing the evacuation of the beach area when he noticed a small inflatable raft with three people in the water around it which was about 200 yards off shore and drifting further out into the lake. Ranger Ryan Regnell responded to the scene in a patrol boat and picked up the trio; he could not see a fourth person struggling in the water nearby, however, because of rough water. Valenta heard the person calling for help, realized that Regnell couldn't see him, took off his duty gear and shoes, and swam out to rescue him. Valenta had to twice employ his lifesaving skills to free himself from the victim, who tried to climb on top of Valenta to save himself. Regnell soon spotted the pair and picked them up. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME]
On August 29th, a tour van with 14 passengers flipped over on US 93 about 15 miles south of Hoover Dam near the Willow Beach turnoff. Seven of the occupants were thrown from the vehicle and killed; seven others were taken to University Medical Center by ambulance and helicopter. Two are in serious but stable condition, the remainder are in fair condition. The driver lost control of the van on a curve and overcorrected; the van rolled one and a quarter times and came to rest on its side against an embankment at the edge of the two-lane highway. None of the passengers was wearing a seatbelt. District ranger Bill Sherman was first on scene and coordinated the rescue effort. He was assisted by other rangers and Park Police officers, who responded from Hoover Dam, and by Arizona DPS officers. Victims were scattered over a wide area. Arizona DPS is investigating the accident, and has not yet decided what charges will be filed against the driver. Possible charges range from speeding to vehicular manslaughter. [Bud Inman, LAME]
N.A., 12, apparently drowned while swimming with her two sisters across a cove just west of Government Wash on Sunday, September 24th. N.A. was on an outing with her family when the accident occurred. When N.A. and her sister, L.A., age 6, began to have difficulties, their mother, Asuncion, swam out to help and brought L.A. to shore. When she returned to help N.A., the girl had disappeared. During her attempts to find her daughter, Asuncion also went under, but was pulled from the water by another visitor, Cesair Garcia. CPR was administered and the mother was flown to a hospital in Las Vegas. Park and state wildlife personnel responded and attempted to find N.A. Her body was discovered in eight feet of water about 20 feet from shore on Monday. Fatigue is being considered as a possible cause of the drowning. [Bud Inman, LAME]
A park volunteer discovered the body of a 35-year-old woman in a vehicle at Kingman Wash on the morning of November 13th. The woman had killed herself with a shotgun. No suicide note was found. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch, LAME]
On the afternoon of November 20th, hikers in the area of Lake Shore Road came upon the body of a young man who had been shot in the back and beaten about the head. The hikers reported their find to Henderson police, who notified the park. Investigation revealed that the victim died at the scene. [Grace Gerken, LAME]
A.S., 25, was driving on Northshore Road around 9 p.m. on January 14th when he lost control of his 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier, which slid 300 feet, went off the road, overturned in a wash, and slid another 120 feet. A.S. was killed; his passenger was able to extricate himself from the car and summon rangers and state police. He was flown to a trauma center in Las Vegas, treated and released. A joint investigation into the accident is underway. [Malcolm DeMunbrun, CI, LAME]
While investigating an off-road vehicle, ranger Gord came upon the remains of a woman. Investigation by the park's criminal investigator and by Las Vegas homicide detectives revealed that the woman had been murdered and that she was 37 years old and a resident of Las Vegas. The investigation continues. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch, LAME]
On the evening of April 29th, Boulder City police notified the park of a semi with a possible drunken driver southbound on U.S. 93. Rangers located and stopped the truck near the Alan Bible visitor center. While attempting to determine if the driver was driving under the influence (DUI), the rangers discovered items normally associated with methamphetamine laboratories. Further investigation led to the discovery of a complete methamphetamine lab inside the trailer. The driver was arrested for DUI (alcohol and drugs), possession of drug paraphernalia, and manufacturing drugs. Additional charges are pending. Assistance was provided at the scene by Nevada highway patrol and Las Vegas metro drug officers. [CRO, LAME]
On May 5th, a boat in Las Vegas Bay caught fire and exploded, blowing four people out of the boat into the water. Park and local personnel responded and provided medical assistance at the scene. Three people were evacuated by helicopter and one by an advanced life support (ALS) unit to the trauma and burn center in Las Vegas, where they were treated for second degree burns. All are expected to recover. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. [CRO, LAME]
A fire of unknown origin destroyed a 28-foot trailer in the Hemenway campground on the afternoon of May 4th. The owner, former park volunteer J.B., noticed smoke coming from under the sink in the trailer's storage cabinets. When she opened the doors to the area, the fire immediately spread through the kitchen. J.B. notified a neighboring VIP who had a radio, and he summoned the Boulder Beach fire company. Also responding were the Callville Bay company and the wildland engine and crew. The trailer was a total loss, but a private car and the adjacent park comfort station suffered no damage. The cause is still under investigation, but faulty wiring is suspected. [CRO, LAME]
E.H., 15, was riding on a personal water craft with another girl in James Bay when a boat turned sharply to miss another such craft and struck them. E.H.'s hair became caught in the boat's propeller, trapping her underwater. She was finally cut free and CPR was begun, but without effect. [CRO, LAME]
On the afternoon of June 16th, G.R., 25, of North Las Vegas, was floating on an inflatable raft at North Boulder Beach when observers saw him fall off and disappear. His body was recovered later in the afternoon. The circumstances leading to his death are not yet known. He was not wearing a life jacket. [CRO, LAME]
Just before noon on June 25th, the park received a report that a drowning victim was being taken by sailboat to the launch ramp at Katherine's Landing. Rangers Brian Cooperider and Joanne Gillette and district ranger Ralph Patterson responded. CPR was begun, and a weak pulse was detected. The victim, J.G., was taken to a hospital, and appears to have totally recovered from the incident. J.G. had been swimming between two boats and went under. Friends who were with her said that she was underwater for just a few minutes. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME]
Two groups were involved in a fight at Upper Gypson Wash beach around 9 p.m. on the evening of June 25th. During the fight, one person was stabbed and is now in serious condition at a hospital in Las Vegas. The first group was comprised of one juvenile and four adult males and was on the beach; the second group, consisting of eight males and four females, was nearby, its members "sniffing paint." When the first group attempted to leave the beach, the second group followed. A fight ensued. Members of the first group were hit with bottles, and one member was struck on the head with a two by four board. A member of that group then took out a knife and started slashing at members of the second group. The five people in the first group eventually escaped and drove to a convenience store in Henderson. The person who committed the stabbing turned himself in to a Henderson officer who happened to be at the store. Park rangers and criminal investigators and investigators from Las Vegas and Henderson are investigating. The person hit by the two by four was treated and released. [Paul Ducasse, SA, PGBSSO]
Housekeepers at the Lake Mead Lodge at Boulder Beach discovered what they thought was a vandalized room on August 9th. Rangers and a criminal investigator were summoned, and they determined that the room had been used as a methamphetamine lab. Las Vegas narcotics investigators also responded. A suspect has been identified and the investigation is continuing. The decontamination and rehabilitation of the room will cost over $5,000. [Malcom DeMunbrun, CI, LAME]
A 45-year-old Las Vegas man was scuba diving alone near Boulder Beach last weekend when he indicated that he needed help. A companion on their nearby boat swam to him and attempted to pull the diver back to the boat, but was unable to keep him afloat. Rangers and park divers responded, but efforts to locate him proved fruitless. The water is 240 feet deep in that area. Other methods of recovery are being pursued. [Malcom DeMunbrun, CI, LAME]
A 38-year-old California resident drowned as a result of an accident near Katherine's Landing on the evening of August 10th. The man's boat capsized in the accident and he disappeared. Divers looked for him that night and the next morning and eventually recovered his body. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME]
Park dispatch received a call of a man down in the water just off of Center Beach in the Boulder Beach area late on the afternoon of August 11th. A 40- year-old Las Vegas man had seen his son struggling with a tube during a period of high offshore winds and swam out to help him. The man quickly became tired; although two other swimmers attempted to help him, they were unable to reach him due to the high wind condition. Divers responded quickly and recovered the body in 12 feet of water. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME]
A 17-year-old boy from Henderson was cliff diving in the Cliffs area on the morning of August 13th when he went under and failed to resurface. His friends summoned help. The body was recovered several hours later. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME]
A 55-year old woman was driving her vehicle at a high rate of speed on North Shore Drive shortly after midnight on September 24th when she lost control of the vehicle and ran off the road. The vehicle rolled over, ejecting her onto the pavement. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Speed and possible driver fatigue are thought to be contributing factors. [Mike O'Neal, PGSO]
Rangers investigating a report of possible vandalism to a navigational aid on Lake Mead ended up discovering a methamphetamine lab on the afternoon of September 24th. A visitor had called the park and reported that someone on board a personal watercraft had vandalized one of the navigational aids on Middle Point Island in the upper portion of the Virgin Basin. Rangers Bill Collup and Matt Bates were given a description of the watercraft and its direction of travel, and soon located the watercraft near a houseboat that was underway. They contacted the operator and boarded the houseboat to investigate the reported vandalism. While on board, Collup and Bates observed chemicals, laboratory equipment, scales and other narcotics paraphernalia. The eight individuals on board were placed in custody and assistance was summoned. DEA agents soon arrived on scene and confirmed that the chemicals were all precursors for the production of methamphetamines. A DEA contract environmental cleanup crew from Los Angeles was called in to remove the chemicals and related equipment and to decontaminate the houseboat. A hand gun and a shotgun were also found and seized. DEA agents interviewed and released the eight suspects, all from Barstow. A joint investigation by the DEA and NPS is underway, and the case will be presented to the U.S. attorney for prosecution. DEA agents estimate that the chemicals seized could produce about ten pounds of methamphetamines with a street value of $300,000. [Bud Inman, CR, LAME]
On the afternoon of Saturday, October 5th, rangers Thane Weigand and Dave Chapman (Grand Canyon) received a report that a park volunteer at Pearce's Ferry at Meadview had asked a visitor to restrain his off-leash dogs and that the man - later identified as D.W., 47 - had responded with profanity. When the rangers arrived on scene, they again asked D.W. to comply, but he refused to cooperate, stating that only U.S. marshals had the authority to enforce laws. Weigand drew his pepper spray and Chapman his collapsible baton, but D.W. tackled Weigand before either spray or baton could be utilized. As the rangers struggled with D.W., he called his adult pit bull and told him to kill the rangers. The dog bit both rangers before D.W. was subdued and convinced to order the dog off. The rangers did not shoot the animal during the confrontation because of the danger of hitting each other and the possibility of the bullet missing. D.W. was arrested and charged on state charges of assaulting an officer. The dogs are in the county pound. Chapman suffered puncture wounds on one toe and a heel and required three stitches; Weigand was bitten on an ankle but required no stitches. [Paul Berkowitz, GRCA]
Earlier this year, park staff contacted a Las Vegas company called "Extreme Marine" regarding possible illegal commercial operations on Lake Powell. On the first weekend in October, rangers Dave Chapman (Grand Canyon) and Thane Weigand assisted the Grand Canyon concessions office in again contacting the company, which was running an illegal tour up the Lower Gorge from Pearce Ferry. The contact resulted in citations and the seizure of a 1996 Dodge pickup with a V-10 engine, a trailer with five jet skis, and a second trailer with one jet ski. [Paul Berkowitz, SA, GRCA]
On the afternoon of October 12th, G.K., 47, drowned while attempting to swim after a boat which had drifted away from shore in Kingman Wash Cove near Hoover Dam. G.K. began experiencing problems about 40 feet from shore, called for help, then went under. He was pulled ashore, and CPR was attempted by rangers, state officers and visitors. G.K. died the following day without regaining consciousness. Neither drugs nor alcohol were contributing factors. This is the eighteenth accidental fatality at the park this year. [Bob Belden, LAME]
A head-on collision occurred on U.S. 93 just south of the visitor center on Saturday, October 26th. Two people were killed and two more are in critical condition in a hospital in Las Vegas. Alcohol may have been a contributing factor. Park, city and state fire and police units and a helicopter were involved in the incident. The highway was closed for about five hours. [Malcolm DeMunbrun, CI, LAME]
Two park visitors who were hiking in the desert near Boulder Beach found human skeletal remains about 150 yards from Lakeshore Road. Park investigators and Las Vegas homicide detectives conducted a search of the area to recover the remains and fragments of clothing. The remains have been identified as those of a female in her late teens by a local university anthropologist who works with the city's medical examiner. The case remains under investigation. [Malcolm DeMunbrun, CI, LAME]
A canoeist on Lake Mohave found the body of a fully-clothed man floating face down in the water at Fortune Cove a quarter mile above the Eldorado Canyon overlook on the afternoon of November 11th. The park was advised via a cellular phone call. Investigation revealed that he'd suffered a shotgun blast to his chest. The body has been turned over to the county coroner for a determination of the cause of death. A joint park-Las Vegas PD investigation is underway. [Karen Whitney, LAME]
While rangers were responding to the report of the body found in Lake Mohave on the afternoon of November 11th (above), a call was received in dispatch reporting an accident in White Rock Canyon on the east side of Lake Mohave about three miles down from Hoover Dam. Rangers found that L.W., 16, of Las Vegas, had died from a 130-foot fall which occurred while returning from a hike with his twin brother and his father. Park SAR personnel carried the victim down to the lake, where he was transported by boat to Willow Beach. [Karen Whitney, LAME]
A grand jury is currently hearing testimony on an eight-count indictment against a man charged with causing serious injury to four people in a high- speed boating accident which occurred on Lake Mohave last summer. On July 27th, D.A. was in the process of making a high speed turn with his 21-foot inboard when the boat struck the shoreline in York Cove, became airborne, and traveled 31 feet before landing. All five occupants were ejected onto the rocky shoreline, and the boat finally came to rest at a point 73 feet from where it had left the water (preliminary estimates indicate that a minimum speed of about 38 miles per hour would be required to cover such a distance). Rangers Fangen-Gritis, Mladucky and Cooperider responded by boat to the area, which is about three miles north of Katherine Landing. Three of the occupants suffered serious head injuries and fractures of their extremities and a fourth had multiple fractures and lacerations. D.A. suffered only from lacerations to his feet. Two were soon released, but the remaining pair were held in the hospital, where they are still undergoing treatment for their injuries. Fangen-Gritis arrested D.A. for operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol. D.A.'s blood alcohol level two hours after the accident was just under .15. The county attorney initially sought four counts of attempted murder against D.A., but reduced that to eight counts of felony aggravated assault. The charges were warranted by the passengers' pleas to D.A. to slow the boat down, which he ignored. After the accident, witnesses saw D.A. running barefoot across the rocks to nearby bushes, where the remains of two cases of beer were subsequently found. Evidence indicated that the beer belonged to D.A.. [CRO, LAME]
The county medical examiner has determined that the man who was found floating face down in the water at Fortune Cove on the afternoon of November 11th died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. City and park investigators located the man's relatives in the San Diego area and determined that the victim had notified them on November 9th that he had a terminal illness and planned to take his own life. [Malcom DeMunbrun, CI, LAME]
On November 23rd, three hikers walking in the upper Gypsum Wash area discovered skeletal remains. Park and Las Vegas investigators responded. Indications are that the remains had been in the area for three to six months. The case is being investigated as a homicide, and is not associated with the incident in which human remains were found near Lakeshore Drive earlier this month. [Malcolm DeMunbrun, CI, LAME]
Lake Mead marina security was asked to check on a missing and overdue person on December 29th. D.C., 52, of Las Vegas, told his wife that he was going out on the lake for the night and had not returned home. Security checked the boat, which was slipped at the marina, and found it open with the radio on and the keys to the dock gate next to the boat. The park was notified the next day. The dive team located D.C.'s body in 28 feet of water near the slip. There was no evidence of foul play. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME]
L.D., 45, of Las Vegas, drowned while SCUBA diving alone near Boulder Beach on August 10th last year. The depth of the water at that location ranges from 210 to 240 feet and visibility is extremely poor. Repeated efforts by park divers to find him were unsuccessful. In September, L.D.'s wife hired C.R. Cleland's Marine Salvage Search and Rescue to conduct additional searches. Company divers searched on 15 days over several months during the fall and early winter. During their last scheduled dive on December 31st, they found L.D.'s body at a depth of 200 feet with a remotely operated underwater vehicle. The divers recovered the body, which was turned over to the county coroner's office. [Bud Inman, LAME]
On November 16th, ranger Ray Klein received a report of a burglary from a cabin at Temple Bar. The cabin had been entered through the rear door, and items valued at over $6,000 - including power tools and various firearms - had been taken. The victim told Klein that he suspected an associate, C.G., and Klein passed the information on to investigator Ernest Soper. On December 3rd, Soper interviewed C.G., who admitted to taking the items and selling them to pawn shops and individuals in Nevada. C.G. signed a consent form authorizing a search of his house and agreed to questioning without an attorney present. Soper employed the pawn tickets to recover all of the stolen items. C.G. was arrested on a charge of burglary in the first degree on December 20th. Soper also found that C.G. was on five years' probation in California on a stolen property charge, and that he'd violated his probation. Additional charges are pending. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME]
On May 22nd, a ranger at Katherine's Landing on Lake Mohave received a report of a missing person. The man's name was taken and entered into NCIC. On May 23rd, it was determined that a 49-year-old man from Bullhead City, Arizona, had fallen off a boat at Davis Cove and had failed to resurface. Body recovery efforts are currently underway. Alcohol appears to have been a contributing factor. [Grace Gerken, Telecommunications Supervisor, LAME, 5/24]
R.H., six, of California, died of a head injury incurred in a fall near Dewey's Beach near Katherine Landing on the afternoon of May 31st. The girl was playing with her brother and sister when the cliff face, eroded by wind and high water levels, collapsed on her. CPR was begun and she was taken to a hospital in Bullhead City, where she died from the injuries she'd sustained. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME, 6/1]
On the afternoon of June 1st, rangers were notified of a possible drowning at South Telephone Cove near Katherine's Landing. A 26-year-old male from Bullhead City had been hiking and decided to swim from shore to an island about 50 feet out into the lake. He started struggling, yelled for help, then disappeared under the water. A friend swam out to help him, but had to let go of the victim. Bystanders helped recover the victim and began CPR. When rangers arrived, CPR had already been terminated. The victim was fully clothed when recovered. This was the twelfth fatality to occur in the park so far this year. [Grace Gerken, Dispatch Supervisor, LAME, 6/1]
A park maintenance worker came upon a four-door sedan on a gravel road at Boulder Beach on June 4th. A hose was running from the exhaust into the passenger compartment. Dispatch was advised, and rangers responded to the scene. They found V.V., 31, and her 12-year-old son suffering from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. A medical helicopter transported them to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. A three-page letter was found in the vehicle in which the mother indicated that she planned to kill her son and take her own life. She had given him drugs to put him to sleep, but he apparently got a window open and was able to get out of the car. Following an investigation by the park's criminal investigator and Las Vegas detectives and an interview with the boy in the hospital, V.V. was arrested and charged with attempted murder and felony child abuse. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/5]
On the morning of June 21st, park dispatch received a cell phone call reporting a body floating near the shore of Saddle Island. Rangers responded and recovered the body of a 35-year-old man from Irvine, California. Investigation revealed a bullet wound to the head. The Las Vegas homicide unit is investigating. This is the thirteenth fatality of the year at Lake Mead. [Grace Gerken, Telecommunications Supervisor, LAME, 6/21]
Park dispatch received a report of a personal water craft (PWC) floating in the lake without an operator around noon on July 2nd. A search was begun, and the victim, a 37-year-old male, was soon found floating in the water. He was wearing a life jacket. Two visiting paramedics began CPR until a critical care unit from Las Vegas could arrive on scene. He was taken to a hospital in Boulder, where he was pronounced dead from drowning. This was the park's 14th fatality of the year. [Dispatch, LAME, 7/3]
On the evening of July 20th, a man and his three-year-old son and sister-in- law were picnicking on a small island near Government Wash. A storm with high winds came up. As they attempted to wade across the inlet to the shore, the father lost his footing and went under with his son. His sister-in-law went back to help, but also went under. Bystanders pulled all three from the water and started CPR on the father, who did not survive. The sister-in-law and child were taken to a hospital in Henderson for observation. This was the park's 15th fatality of the year. [Terri Greene, Lead Dispatcher, LAME, 7/21]
Ranger VanNest was on patrol early on the afternoon of July 6th when he came upon a vehicle off-road with tubing extending from the tailpipe into the right rear window. The suicide victim was a 43-year-old male from Las Vegas. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This was the park's 16th fatality of the year. [Dispatch, LAME, 7/6]
On August 4th, rangers at Katherine Landing responded to a report of shots fired and a burglary in progress. When ranger Todd Austin arrived, the suspects had already left the area. Austin subsequently located the get-away vehicle, which had been stolen in Kingman, Arizona. The vehicle and occupants were also wanted in connection with several burglaries in the Kingman area, including theft of beer and cigarettes from a convenience store. Austin followed a trail left by the subjects toward a cabin area. While following the trail, he received a report of a burglary in progress at cabin #37. Austin and ranger Lopez arrested J.L. and two juveniles. Felony charges were filed on all three for armed robbery, burglary, theft, and theft while armed. A 12 gauge shotgun was recovered at the scene. [Maria Mackie, Dispatch, LAME, 8/6]
Criminal investigator Malcolm DeMunbrun, 56, died of complications associated with a long illness on Sunday, November 30th. Malcolm was a second generation NPS employee; both his father and uncle worked at Mammoth Cave NP when Malcolm joined the service as a park technician at Everglades NP in 1970. He worked there in the Flamingo District for three years, then transferred to Blue Ridge Parkway. Malcolm was accepted as part of the park ranger intake trainee class in 1976 and moved to Lake Mead the next year. Over the years, Malcolm made many friends for the NPS through his dedication, professionalism, and kind and caring demeanor. He received numerous outstanding performance and special achievement awards throughout his career. Malcolm is survived by his daughter, L., his grand-daughter, A., and his former wife, S.C., all of Boulder City, and by his mother and sister, both of Port Angeles, Washington. Condolences may be sent to his family. The family asks that donations in lieu of flowers be made to the FOP Ranger Assistance Fund, PO Box 151, Fancy Gap, Virginia 24328. A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Palm Mortuary at 800 South Boulder Highway in Henderson. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 12/2]
Park dispatch received a report of a disturbance at the Lake Mead Marina restaurant and lounge late on the afternoon of Sunday, March 22nd. A dispute had occurred over the payment of a bar bill and had continued outside the lounge. The parties eventually decided to leave and boarded their two "cigarette boats" (high-performance, high-speed inboards). One of the boats, a 47-foot Fountain, struck another vessel at the marina. Rangers and state game wardens stopped both vessels. The operator of the Fountain was arrested by the state officers for operating under the influence. A sober driver was located for that vessel, and it was allowed to proceed. Just before 10 a.m. the following morning, Las Vegas police received a 911 call reporting a major boating accident with fatalities in the park. The information was relayed to the park's communications center, but police dispatchers were unable to gather any more information before the call was lost. The caller called again, but communications were again lost. About 20 minutes later, the park received a marine band radio report of a boating accident with three fatalities in the upper Boulder Basin east of Burro Point. Rangers arrived at the accident scene shortly thereafter. They found that the Fountain had run aground around midnight, and that there had been four fatalities and three injuries. Deceased were C.Y., 44, M.K., 26, E.C., 27, and P.E., 47; injured were boat owner M.Y., 44, R.R., 24, and R.S., 27. The three survivors were transported to the trauma center at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. [Paul Crawford, Shift Supervisor, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 3/24]
On the afternoon of Sunday, March 22nd, Boulder Basin District rangers responded to a two-vehicle motor vehicle accident with injuries at the intersection of Northshore and Lakeshore Drives. Two people with serious injuries and two with moderate injuries were treated by rangers and taken to the trauma center at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. At about the same time, Northshore District rangers responded to a medical at Callville Bay, a single-vehicle rollover accident near Overton Beach, and the report of two drunken drivers leaving the same beach. As Boulder Basin rangers cleared from the first accident, they were dispatched to another motor vehicle accident with injuries, this time on Lake Mead Boulevard. The report indicated that several victims were lying on the road, but was ambiguous regarding the location. The accident was found to be outside the park, but rangers provided traffic control, as the boulevard was closed for several hours. Around 4:30 p.m., rangers responded to the disturbance noted above (98-113) at the Lake Mead Marina restaurant and lounge. Then, at 6 p.m., rangers and park fire and rescue units were summoned to a vehicle fire on Lake Mead boulevard. The vehicle was fully involved when they arrived. The fire was extinguished. During the incident, a driver attempted to pass a ranger directing traffic and was arrested for driving under the influence. [Paul Crawford, Shift Supervisor, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 3/24]
Ranger Randy Neal was dispatched to St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson at 1:20 a.m. on April 11th to investigate a reported stabbing. T.R., 19, told Neal that she was with a group of friends at Gypsum Wash when an unknown male came to their campsite looking for his girlfriend. The man put a knife to T.R.'s throat and cut her when the group refused to help him find his girlfriend. The cut missed her carotid artery by only half a millimeter. At the same time, Neal received a report from a juvenile female's mother indicating that her daughter was missing in the park. The daughter's boyfriend, R.P., 20, had called the mother, told her that he and her daughter had gotten into an argument, and said that she was still at Lake Mead. He also told her not to call the police, as someone had been stabbed. The mother used the return call feature on her phone to get the number of the phone that R.P. had used to call her. Criminal investigator Mike Blandford arrived to assist Neal, and both went to the mother's residence. Assistance was requested and provided by Henderson police, and the telephone number was traced to an address. While this was going on, other Henderson officers reported that they had just had a foot pursuit in that same area that began from a traffic stop. The man they had taken into custody was Robert R.P. R.P. was subsequently identified by witnesses and the victim as the suspect in the stabbing. Ranger Mike Sabatini went to the crime scene at Gypsum Wash; when he arrived, he was stopped by people in a vehicle who said they had a sexual assault victim with them. The victim was R.P.'s juvenile girlfriend. She claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by two men after she had walked away from R.P., said that the suspects were still in the area, and added that there was only one vehicle left at the end of the road. It emerged from the area a few minutes later and was stopped by Sabatini. There were two men and three women in the vehicle. Although none was involved in the sexual assault, the vehicle came up on NCIC as a stolen vehicle out of Las Vegas. All five were arrested. R.P. was transferred to federal custody and booked on attempted murder charges. T.R. is in recovery and doing well. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 4/20]
Rangers noticed smoke rising from the Lakeshore Trailer Village around 5 p.m. on April 17th. When ranger Ryan Regnell arrived two minutes later, he found a 50-foot, single-wide residential trailer in flames, but was able to quickly locate the occupants and assure that they were safe. Park fire crews arrived, quickly knocked down the fire, contained it to the original structure and to a storage shed on the adjacent site, and cooled down two other trailers. Suppression efforts were hampered by insufficient water due to the lack of fire hydrants in the area. The Boulder City Fire Department was called in for water support along with the park's 3,000 gallon tender. The structure and its contents were a total loss; the estimated value has been placed at $150,000. The fire was accidental and evidently started by a child lighting a candle. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 4/20]
Ranger Tom McDermott was on patrol on Northshore Road on the evening of April 23rd when he saw a black Thunderbird heading toward him at a high rate of speed (estimated at 80 mph in a 50 mph zone). The Thunderbird was straddling the center line, forcing McDermott to take evasive action to prevent a head- on collision. The driver lost control of his vehicle after passing McDermott and the Thunderbird slid sideways off the highway and overturned. Both occupants suffered serious injuries and were flown by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Blood was drawn from the male juvenile driver, who admitted to consuming several beers. He was arrested for felony reckless driving after being released from the hospital and was booked into the county juvenile detention facility. [Susan Warner, LAME, 5/1]
M.M., 51, and W.S., 37, launched their 14-foot sailboat from Kingman Wash on April 23rd. A lake wind advisory was in effect at the time which called for high winds with gusts up to 50 mph and three to five- foot waves. They failed to return home, so a search was begun the following morning. Ranger/pilot Bruce Lenon spotted their capsized boat in Boulder Basin, but saw nobody nearby. Off-duty Las Vegas police officers who were on the lake in their own boat came upon a life jacket floating in the water in Upper Boulder Basin; they investigated and found M.M.'s body. Ranger Bob Carnes found W.S.'s body along the Arizona shoreline near Indian Canyon Cove a short time later. The bodies have been conveyed to the respective county coroners. [Paul G. Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 5/6]
Las Vegas city detectives and ranger Paul Crawford apprehended fugitive R.G., 51, on the afternoon of April 28th. R.G., who was wanted by police in Saginaw, Texas, for a murder committed ten years ago, fled into the park in late February after being visited by IRS agents on an unrelated matter. He set up camp in Lower Gypsum Wash and over time associated with campers and fishermen in Upper Gypsum and Government Washes. Las Vegas Metro police received information that R.G. had been seen in the park after his picture was shown on local television. Other information indicated that he intended to murder someone with an RV and assume his identity. R.G. was spotted walking along the shoreline by an observer in a Metro helicopter and taken into custody without incident. The arrest was good news for Saginaw police, as they wanted to close the case prior to the imminent retirement of the department's chief. The chief will now be able to retire with no unsolved cases in the department. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 5/6]
On the afternoon of May 30th, ranger Michael Sabitini, who was assigned to plain clothes narcotics operations, saw four men engaged in suspicious activity - what appeared to be use of controlled substances - in a parked vehicle at Boulder Beach. All four then got out of their vehicle and looked under the car's hood. The adult member of the group (the others were juveniles), subsequently identified as R.C., approached Sabitini and asked if he had jumper cables. Sabatini joined the group in an unsuccessful effort to start the vehicle; while doing so, he noted possible tampering to the ignition, got the car's license plate number, and later contacted dispatch. The vehicle came back as stolen, and the information was relayed to patrol rangers. When a marked vehicle appeared on scene, the three juveniles left the area on foot and R.C. asked Sabatini to take him to a telephone. R.C. climbed into the bed of Sabatini's truck and they started to leave the crowded beach area. When a marked unit driven by seasonal ranger Brian Cooperider approached, Sabitini waved him down. R.C. was placed in the rear of the caged patrol vehicle, still under the pretense that he was being taken to a phone, in order to get him out of the beach area before making an arrest. Rangers Tom Valenta, Randy Neal and Tim Simonds also responded and arrested the three juveniles, who were walking along the road. Cooperider stopped and parked at the location where the juveniles were being cuffed and stepped out of his vehicle to assist. Simonds then saw R.C., still in the rear seat of the cruiser, place a 9mm handgun to his head. Neal took cover behind the open vehicle door and tried to talk to R.C.. R.C. fired one round from the gun, which passed through his head and the vehicle's left rear window, then a second round. Rangers and volunteer EMTs provided emergency medical treatment while awaiting a Flight for Life helicopter. R.C. was flown to a Las Vegas hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigation revealed that R.C. had an extensive arrest record, and that there were active warrants against him for statutory sexual seduction and possession of a stolen vehicle. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/2]
Park dispatch received a report that a child had disappeared underwater at Government Wash on the evening of June 1st. The seven-year-old boy, a non- swimmer, had been in the water with family members and had reportedly been under for five minutes. Rangers, a park ambulance, and a Flight for Life helicopter responded. Rangers Ryan Regnell and Paul Crawford, both divers, arrived within minutes, geared up, and entered the lake. Regnell found and recovered the boy in 15 feet of water about 35 feet from shore within two minutes. Crawford and the volunteers aboard the ambulance led the resuscitation effort and transferred patient care to the two flight nurses on board the helicopter. The boy was taken to a hospital in Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. [Paul Crawford, LAME, 6/2]
The park had a number of significant incidents over the holiday weekend in addition to those already reported. On Saturday, May 23rd, rangers at Katherine Landing responded to a report of a riot in progress on the beach at North Telephone Cove. As they approached the area, between 20 and 30 of the people involved in the fracas dispersed and attempted to flea. Bystanders reported seeing one of them with a gun, and that others used rocks, bottles, full beer cans and tent poles to inflict injuries on each other. The rangers took control and arrested four people. The crowd of several hundred people cheered as the four were handcuffed. The rangers also provided initial medical treatment, with follow-up care administered at a local hospital. Investigation revealed that the dispute that led to the riot was caused by waterguns used by four-year-olds and 20-year-olds of differing ethnic origins. Katherine rangers were summoned to another disturbance at Telephone Cove the following day. A large fight involving 15 to 20 people had broken out between two ethnic groups. The fight stemmed from an inappropriate comment made by a male from one group to a female in the other group. Three people were arrested, and EMS was again provided. Alcohol played a significant role in both of these events. There were also four helicopter medivacs and numerous other significant EMS incidents in the district over the weekend. [Jan Kirwan, Mohave District, LAME, 6/4]
Boulder Basin District fire crews were dispatched to a fire at the Gold Strike Inn and Casino at 1:38 a.m. on June 16th. The Gold Strike is located on a mining claim that is surrounded by park land; fire protection is provided by the Clark County fire department, with city of Boulder and the park providing first response units. Ranger Randy Neal was first on scene and reported significant fire and dense smoke around the main entrance, with the facade fully engulfed in flame. The park's fire crew joined in the initial attack and also performed a primary search of the casino and three-story, low-rise hotel. Additional units arrived about 40 minutes later. Clark County took over command and park crews were assigned to the division protecting one side of the structure, including the hotel. Supervisory ranger Paul Crawford was assigned to command the division. Park crews, augmented by firefighters from other districts, advanced a four-inch large-diameter hose, air bottles and tools to the third floor of the low rise. A park engine pumped these lines and also supplied water to a supply line to a tower ladder for roof operations. FMO and fire chief Bob Trodahl led the interior operations in the low rise. Crews stopped fire from spreading into the attic spaces in rooms that were closest to the fire. Wildland fire crews were summoned to check on reports of vegetation fires in the park. A total of four alarms were struck for this fire. The entire casino and restaurant area was a total loss; the hotel tower and one low-rise structure received some damage. The damage has been placed at between $25 and $50 million. The fire apparently started in roofing construction material. Park crews were released at 9 a.m. A total of 30 NPS personnel worked the incident. The incident commander was impressed with the work performed by the NPS and individual firefighters. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 6/17]
Around 11:30 p.m. on June 13th, Katherine Landing rangers received a report of a man wielding a machete and threatening to kill people in the North Telephone Cove campground. They responded and found that the man, identified as J.L.S. of Tucson, Arizona, had fled the campground into the desert. Witnesses said that J.L.S. had been drinking all day and had attempted to purchase drugs a short time earlier. The rangers conducted a hasty search of the desert just to the north of J.L.S.'s truck and campsite. They found him huddled behind a bush about 40 feet into the desert, still holding the machete. When illuminated by flashlights, J.L.S. stood. The rangers ordered him to drop the machete, but he instead advanced on them. They again ordered him to drop the machete, telling him that he would otherwise be shot. The rangers were unable to get a clear shot at him, though, due to the proximity of nearby campsites. At one point, J.L.S. returned to his truck, where rangers sprayed him with OC-10 pepper spray. This apparently had no effect on him except to make him more agitated. He placed the lanyard of the machete around his wrist and took an obvious fighting grip on the machete. J.L.S. repeatedly told the rangers that he would kill them, and that the only way the incident would end would be with the death of either a ranger or himself. Using themselves as bait, rangers maneuvered J.L.S. away from the campsites, positioning themselves between J.L.S. and the campers and clearing the line of fire. J.L.S. continued his threats to kill the rangers. District ranger Ralph Patterson arrived on scene and realized that the rangers had exhausted all options and were about to shoot J.L.S.. He maneuvered his patrol car around behind the other rangers and advanced on J.L.S., knocking him to the ground. J.L.S. got up. Patterson continued to herd him away from the campsites, striking him two more times. After each strike, J.L.S. regained his footing and struck and damaged the patrol car with roundhouse swings with the machete. J.L.S. stumbled back into an outhouse after the third strike and completely lost his footing. When ordered again to drop the machete, J.L.S. complied and was handcuffed. J.L.S. has been indicted by a grand jury on seven felony counts - four counts of aggravated assault on peace officers, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of disorderly conduct with a weapon. [Jan Kirwan and Bud Inman, LAME, 6/22]
A DUI checkpoint was set up on Northshore Drive near Echo Bay for most of the afternoon of Saturday, June 13th. Eight rangers participated under the supervision of criminal investigator Mike Blanford. A total of 378 vehicles were checked; eleven field sobriety tests were conducted, resulting in one arrest for drunk driving. A second arrest was made for an outstanding warrant and 18 violation notices were issued for a variety of offenses, including possession of open containers and a controlled substance. Another 30 drivers were warned about using seatbelts. Many visitors expressed their thanks to the NPS for being out there and making the roads safer for their families. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/17]
On June 30th, rangers responded to a visitor's report of a man sleeping in a locked vehicle at the Lake Mead Lodge at Boulder Beach. The found the body of S.G., 26, of Fullerton, California, in the back seat of a rental 1997 Ford Explorer. He appeared to have died as a result of a plastic tie, similar to a Flexicuff, tightly secured around his neck. Metro homicide detectives are investigating the case as a suspicious death, but it appears at present that there is a high probability that the death is a suicide. The death apparently occurred two to three days previously. This is the eighteenth fatality recorded in the park this year. [Bud Inman, LAME, 6/30]
Rangers and EMS volunteers responded to a personal watercraft (PWC) accident on the afternoon of July 3rd. C.P., 16, of Signal Hill, California, was struck by another PWC traveling over 30 mph, but was able to make it to the Hemenway launch ramp. He complained of pain in his chest and difficulty breathing and was found to have a deformity and crepitus (a grating sound heard on movement of the ends of broken bones) on the left side of his chest. The initial plan was to transport C.P. to an ambulance at Boulder City, but EMT volunteer Dave Ladd became concerned about C.P.'s condition and instead summoned a helicopter to fly him to a trauma center in Las Vegas. C.P. went into shock upon arrival at the hospital and was rushed to the ER operating room, where he was found to have a lacerated spleen. [Paul Crawford, LAME, 7/6]
Rangers and EMS crews responded to an accident at Lakeshore Road and the Las Vegas Bay access road on the afternoon of July 4th. Three victims were treated and transported, including an unconscious and unresponsive eight- year-old boy. He was flown to the University Medical Center, where he remains on a ventilator. Several hours later, rangers received a report of a 12-year-old in the Boulder Beach area who was disoriented and vomiting blood. They learned that he'd been in the same vehicle as the eight-year-old and that he'd walked away from the accident to join other family members in another vehicle. He was taken to the UMC trauma center with a skull fracture. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 7/6]
On the evening of July 4th, rangers Tom Valenta and Brian Cooperider checked out a report of a person missing from a boat in the lower Boulder Basin. They contacted K.B., 17, of Henderson, Nevada. She said that she and C.S., 19, also of Henderson, had been riding together on a PWC when they decided to stop and go for a swim. They took off their life jackets and dove into the lake. The PWC began to drift away while they were swimming; they attempted to reach it, but could not swim fast enough. They both headed for Promontory Point, becoming separated en route. K.B. heard C.S. call for help several times from behind her, but the calls eventually stopped. K.B. swam for an estimated hour and a half before being rescued by a private vessel. They searched for C.S. for about an hour before summoning rangers. A search was begun and continued through the following morning. No sign of him was found. The search area will be checked daily for the next week. Water depths in the area range from 175 to 400 feet. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 7/6]
L.M., 34, of Las Vegas, was swimming with friends near Gypsum Wash on the afternoon of July 6th when he attempted to cross a small cove and disappeared underwater. Ranger Andy Coriell was the first to arrive. His Spanish language skills enabled him to determine the point last seen. Rangers Ryan Regnell and Paul Crawford arrived on scene and began an underwater search. They found L.M.'s body in 37 feet of water between 25 and 30 feet from shore. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/7]
C.S., 49, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was riding his personal watercraft (PWC) about a mile off shore of the Hemenway Harbor area on the afternoon of July 10th when the PWC stalled and was struck from behind by his 28-year-old son, who was riding a second PWC. The elder C.S. was killed. This was the first time either had ridden PWCs. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 7/15]
On the evening of July 11th, 20-year-old K.U. of Herndon, Virginia, was apparently thrown from his PWC while riding it near Hemenway Harbor. K.U. was swimming after it when a second boat headed for the harbor ran over him. The boaters retrieved K.U. from the lake and carried him to shore, where rangers provided emergency medical assistance until he could be airlifted to a hospital. He'd suffered propeller cuts along his body and succumbed to these injuries just after 3 a.m. on Sunday morning. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 7/15]
Nine-year-old D.V.M. of Costa Mesa, California, was swimming from his father's boat in Arizona Bay on Lake Mohave on July 11th when the boat began drifting away. The boy panicked and tried to swim after it just as his father was starting the boat to come back and get him. The boy went underwater and the father jumped in and pulled him to the surface. He treaded water for about 15 minutes, holding his son, until off-duty Henderson police officers saw them in the water and came to their aid. They performed CPR and carried the boy to Cottonwood Cove, where concession and NPS emergency personnel continued CPR and provided advanced life support. He was flown to a hospital in Las Vegas, where he died the following afternoon. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 7/15]
On July 14th, rangers searched unsuccessfully for several hours for a fisherman who was last seen pulling up his anchor just off Boulder Beach around 10 a.m. The park's tour boat found his boat circling without an operator around 10:20 a.m. and notified park dispatch. Rangers caught the boat and shut it down, but could not find the operator, C.P., 54, of Las Vegas. The search centered in the area the boat was found circling and along the shoreline. Air support for the search was provided by a park aircraft and a local TV news helicopter. The lake is about 180 feet deep at the point where the boat was found. Debris found in the water included C.P.'s hat. There were also indications that he'd been run over by the boat and hit by its propeller. Criminal investigator Gary Sebade is leading the investigation. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/15]
T.M., 66, of Las Vegas, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 14th. T.M. drove to Lake Mead, parked his car at Montana Agate Wash off Northshore Road, left a suicide note with the phone number of his next of kin and his planned method for killing himself, walked to a point ten feet off the roadway, and shot himself. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/15]
Boulder District shift supervisor Tom Valenta spotted a fire at mile five on Lake Shore Road on the afternoon of July 16th. When he arrived at that location, he found a 40-foot motor home on fire. Park fire engines responded. The front section of the vehicle was engulfed in flame, a 40- gallon propane tank was venting, and the fire extended across the road. Fire chief Bob Trodhal took command and had additional park units respond; Boulder City fire department units were also summoned. The temperature was 122 degrees in the shade at the time, so heat exhaustion was a major concern. Besides the heat, there were dangers associated with exploding ammunition and the heavy fuel load in the interior, as the owners were moving and had filled it with clothes and other property. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion and released later that evening. The total loss has been placed at $100,000. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/17]
Ranger Michael Sabatini, working in plain clothes, observed drug use in a group of people on the South Swim Beach around noon on July 19th. Ranger Art Gunzel arrived to assist. All five, ranging in age from 18 to 52, were arrested. One had seven baggies of marijuana and five strips of blotter LSD; two others had marijuana. One member of the group had been contacting visitors on the beach, offering to sell the marijuana. The group had a 1962 Chevy bus with a 20-foot sailboat integrated into its roof. Sixty marijuana pipes and other drug paraphernalia were found inside. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/20]
On the evening of July 19th, dispatch received a report that a man who was diving into the lake from the cliffs at Gypsum Wasch had failed to surface. Rangers, EMS volunteers and a helicopter responded. Ranger/divers Ryan Regnell and Paul Crawford found D.R., 18, of Las Vegas, in about 25 feet of water within two minutes and brought him to shore. Resuscitation efforts were begun and D.R. was airlifted to a trauma center in Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead. D.R.'s death is the 17th water-related fatality at Lake Mead this year. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/20]
A commercial trucker taking a walk along the abandoned road bed of U.S. 93 in Arizona on the evening of July 18th discovered the bodies of two people inside a vehicle. Identities have tentatively been established as P.C., 35, and S.C., 45, both of Arizona; the two were wanted by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for child abuse and sex crimes with minors. The exact cause of death is being investigated. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/20]
Ranger Mike Blandford came upon a four-wheel-drive vehicle stuck up to its axles in a dry wash about eight-tenths of a mile from Northshore Road on the afternoon of August 13th. The driver and sole occupant, D.R., 36, had evidently died from dehydration. The vehicle had been stuck in the sand for several days, with air temperatures around 115 degrees. D.R. reportedly had a handicap to her right leg. She was found in the driver's seat with the door open. This was the park's 29th fatality this year. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/14]
On August 13th, criminal investigator Mike Blandford checked out a report of a four-wheel-drive vehicle stuck up to its axles in a dry wash about eight- tenths of a mile from Northshore Road. He found the body of the driver and sole occupant, D.R., 36, who had been there for several days and evidently died from dehydration. Investigation revealed that she apparently became stuck in the wash late on the afternoon of Monday, August 10th, and decided to stay with the car rather than walk to the well-traveled Northshore Road. D.R.'s father reported that his daughter had been under treatment by her doctor for recent excessive weight loss and dehydration. She could walk with the help of a brace on her right leg, but tired very quickly. It's not known why she drove away from the lake and up into the wash, an area that is only infrequently visited in summer months. Afternoon temperatures hovered around 115 degrees on the day she became stuck. [Mike Blandford, CI, LAME, 8/20]
The park had another one of those days on August 30th: o Boulder Beach rangers were dispatched to a boat accident with injuries at the Lake Mead marina at 3:15 p.m. They found that two personal watercraft had collided on the lake and that one party had been injured. That person was taken to the hospital in Boulder City by the park ambulance. o Shortly thereafter, rangers were called to a single vehicle rollover accident on Lakeshore Drive. All four occupants - two adults and two children - were injured. Rangers and EMS volunteers provided patient care. All were flown to the trauma center in Las Vegas. The driver is suspected of operating under the influence. o While response to the vehicle accident was underway, a man and his two children were saved from drowning by interpretive rangers. The trio was in a raft that was being pushed off the South Boulder swim beach by gusty winds. The father, who did not know how to swim, stepped off the raft, lost his grip, and began struggling in the water; the raft began to drift away. All three were rescued by interpretive staff who were conducting a water safety patrol. The father was brought to shore, treated, then taken to the hospital by units from the city fire department. o While both of these incidents were underway, a fight in progress outside the Las Vegas Bay ranger station was reported. The district ranger and state warden supervisor responded, but found that all the participants had fled the area. o As rangers were clearing from these calls, a weather front moved through the area. The dispatch center was flooded with calls of vessels in distress, capsized vessels, and vessels taking on water that had insufficient numbers of life jackets aboard. Rangers, game wardens and park VIPs worked together to respond to seven separate rescues. At Black Island, a boater attempted to fend his boat off from the shore by placing himself between the boat and the shoreline. He was treated for crushing injuries to his legs, then flown to the trauma center. Two vessels were swamped and a third was capsized. All occupants were rescued. A second storm front came through later on, causing heavy rain, lightning, and flash flooding. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 8/31]
J.G., 34, of Las Vegas, was killed around 10:30 p.m. on August 29th when the 22-foot Seaswirl he was traveling in struck a rock cliff near Sandmine Cove at a high rate of speed. J.G. was killed when he slammed against the boat's interior. The boat operator said that he fell asleep. Alcohol was a contributing factor. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/30]
D.A., 50, lost control of his 1973 Chevy pickup while traveling on Northshore Road around noon on August 31st. The truck crossed the oncoming lane, left the roadway and struck an embankment. The vehicle was totalled. CPR was begun, but proved fruitless. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This was the park's 32nd fatality this year. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/31]
Rangers Todd Austin and Jan Kirwan investigated a fight in North Telephone Cove at 9 p.m. on August 17th. After calming the situation, they stepped back into the darkness to see how things would go. They heard someone declare that his wallet had been stolen, and that he was going to drive through the alleged thief's campsite with his pickup. The truck started up and began to move toward the campsite. Austin and Kirwan intercepted the truck, jerked the door open, and dragged the driver off the seat before he could get any further. He was found to be completely naked. The wallet he said had been stolen was on the seat beside him. Investigation revealed that he was P.W. of Bullhead, Arizona, that he was intoxicated, and that this was his third DUI offense this year alone. He was charged with aggravated driving, driving under the influence, and driving on a suspended license. [Bud Inman, LAME, 9/1]
Park dispatch was notified of an climbing accident at St. James Bay on the morning of September 5th. B.B., 20, from the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, was attempting to climb up a steep, unstable cliff to make a dive into the lake when he dislodged a two-foot diameter rock; the rock fell on his left foot, lacerating it to the bone. EMS volunteer Renee Johnson responded on a private boat. She found that she couldn't reach B.B. and advised that the park's SAR team was needed. Rangers Randy Neal, Robert Moelder and Paul Crawford responded. A suitable anchor system was constructed despite unstable terrain. Molder rappelled from a point 20 feet above B.B., then lowered him another 30 feet to the bow of a patrol boat. B.B. was taken by boat to Calville Bay, then airlifted to a trauma center in Las Vegas. Northshore district ranger Steve Drolet was IC. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 9/8]
On September 7th, L.C., 70, of Bullhead City, Arizona, dove into Lake Mohave from the back of a friend's boat. He surfaced, yelled for help, struggled to stay afloat, then went under. His body was later recovered. This was the park's 34th fatality this year. [Jan Kirwan, LAME, 9/8]
On the evening of September 20th, six Las Vegas residents were fishing from a 14-foot aluminum boat near the Hemenway Wall. Around 10 p.m., one of them made a cast that upset the balance of the boat, which began taking on water. Efforts to bail out the water were unsuccessful and the boat capsized. All six occupants had donned life jackets. Three swam for shore while the other three stayed with the boat. The three who made it to shore lit a fire and screamed for help. Visitors at the Lake Mead overlook on Highway 93 heard them and called park dispatch. Rangers Jeff Goad and Brian Cooperider responded in a park boat; another ranger drove to the overlook, spotted the fire, and directed them to that location. Goad and Cooperider rescued the three people in the water, picked up the other three from the shore, and transported all six to their vehicles at the Hemenway launch ramp. They declined medical care. Goad and Cooperider then returned to the accident scene, extinguished the fire, righted the boat, and towed it back to shore. [Paul Crawford, SPR, LAME, 9/21]
G.W., 33, of Costa Mesa, California, was killed in a boating accident near Katharine Landing on September 19th. G.W., who had consumed eight or nine beers over a four-hour period, left his beach campsite on a rented personal watercraft (PWC) around 10:30 p.m. When he failed to return by 2 a.m., a friend called rangers. A water search was begun at 3:45 a.m. G.W.'s body was found floating about 10 feet from his PWC. It appears that he was killed when he ran into a slight rock outcropping at a high rate of speed. This was the park's 35th fatality this year. [Jan Kirwan, LAME, 9/20]
Hikers found skeletal remains close to the historic railroad trail near Boulder Beach on September 28th and reported the discovery to rangers. The victim apparently died within the last year. Las Vegas homicide detectives have been called in to assist in the investigation. Although there were no obvious signs of foul play, the discovery is being treated as a possible homicide until the autopsy is concluded. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 9/29]
On August 28th, L.S., 57, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pled guilty to a felony violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits the interstate transport of illegaly taken plants and wildlife. The charge stemmed from theft of cacti from the park earlier this year. On February 14th, L.S., the owner of a Las Vegas-based landscaping firm called Cactus All Legal, drove to the Cottonwood Cove area of the park to collect cactus. A passing visitor who saw L.S. digging them up notified a police officer on patrol in a town near the park; the officer advised park dispatch, and ranger Glen Anderson investigated. L.S. was in the act of loading 11 cactus plants into his truck when contacted by Anderson. A thorough investigation of the crime scene by Anderson, special agent Gary Sebade and members of the park's resource management staff led to identification of the sites where the cacti had been taken. GIS was utilized to plot the locations. A day laborer whom L.S. had hired also provided evidence. Sentencing is set for December 11th. Once the case has been adjudicated, the cacti, which have been held as evidence in the park's nursery, will be planted in an interpretive display at the Cottonwood Cove ranger station to educate the public on the Lacey Act and other laws related to cactus plants. [Bud Inman, LAME, 10/13]
On November 22nd, M.B., 23, camped with a friend near Lake Mohave. During the night, M.B. rolled over onto a loaded .40 caliber handgun, which accidentally discharged and struck him near his left groin and femur. He was flown out to a trauma center in Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead just after 3 a.m. This was the park's 37th fatality this year. [Dispatch, LAME, 11/23]
On the morning of December 20th, the operator of the 55-foot houseboat Hydro Therapy radioed the park that the boat was taking on water in Castle Cove. Rangers Jeff Goad and Robert Moelder responded in a 31-foot Bertrum and rangers Joe Hayes and Paul Crawford traveled to the scene in a 25-foot rigid hull inflatable Zodiac. When they arrived, they found that the houseboat was partially submerged and had broached along the shoreline; the two occupants were on shore, cold and wet but uninjured. The sinking had occurred during a lake wind advisory. The houseboat was moored in a cove with no protection from the wind. It had slipped its mooring lines, then smashed and sunk an 18-foot Sea Ray that was tied off alongside. The two victims were picked up and transported to Boulder Harbor. The boat crews faced a sustained 50 mph head wind and four- to five-foot waves on the return trip. As they arrived at the harbor, they were apprised of a report of a sailboarder in distress. Crawford joined Goad and Moelder and geared up for a rescue swim as they headed for the area where the sailboarder had last been seen. They found D.S. in the water off Boulder Islands. Although he told them he was okay, he added that he was too fatigued to swim to the boat. Crawford swam to him and helped him back to the Bertrum. D.S. said that he was about to give up hope when the rangers arrived, and that they had saved his life. He was warmed up, but declined further treatment. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 12/22]
Park dispatch received a report of a drunk driver on Lake Mead Boulevard on the afternoon of December 27th. Ranger Wes Houk intercepted the vehicle, a 26-foot, 1975 Tioga motorhome, at the point where the boulevard intersects with Northshore Drive. Houk attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver - subsequently identified as R.F., 56, of Las Vegas - accelerated away, striking a guard rail and damaging the vehicle in the process. Houk pursued along with rangers Bob Carnes and Andy Coriell. As Coriell attempted to pass the motorhome, R.F. veered the motorhome toward him in an apparent attempt to run Coriell off the road. The pursuit left the park and continued towards Henderson, Nevada. Officers from that jurisdiction joined the chase. Coriell was able to get ahead of R.F. on Lake Mead Drive and place a spike stick on the road. The spikes deflated the motorhome's right rear dual wheels, but R.F. continued down the road at speeds of about 50 mph as the motorhome's tires began to disintegrate. The motorhome finally came to a stop in front of a residence in Henderson. R.F. was ordered out of the vehicle, but refused to comply. Coriell and a Henderson officer opened the passenger side door and found that R.F. was armed with a small camping axe. Coriell disabled, disarmed and extricated R.F., then placed him under custody. There were no passengers in the motorhome. Investigation revealed that R.F.'s license was suspended and that he had a prior conviction for operating under the influence (OUI). His two breath alcohol tests indicated breath alcohol of .27 and .28% R.F. was charged with DUI, DUI with a breath alcohol above .10%, driving without a license, interfering with an agency function, damaging government property, and possession of a controlled substance. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 12/27]
On the morning of December 30th, a park visitor found a man's body floating face up in the lake near Sand Island. The as yet unidentified man, thought to be in his mid-30s, had a nylon rope tied around him. The investigation is being handled by rangers and investigators from Las Vegas' homicide unit. [Karen Whitney, LAME, 12/30]
A high-performance 47-foot Fountain "cigarette" boat ran aground at high speed in upper Boulder Basin east of Burro Point some time after midnight on the morning of March 23, 1998. Four of the seven occupants were killed; three, including the operator, M.Y., were injured. The deceased were M.Y.'s wife, C.Y., 44, M.K., 26, E.C., 27, and Pearl Ewens, 47. On Monday, February 1st, M.Y. pled guilty to four counts of manslaughter in Mohave County superior court in Kingman, Arizona. He will be sentenced in March. Park criminal investigator Gary Sebade was the lead investigator. [Paul Crawford, LAME, 2/3]
Katherine Landing rangers were summoned to a cabin area to investigate a motor vehicle accident with property damage at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 6th. While en route, they learned that the driver of the vehicle, later identified as one G.S., had assaulted two good Samaritans who had come to his aid. The victims, aged 59 and 72, said that G.S. had been calm until they mentioned that they'd summoned rangers. G.S. kicked them and beat them with their own flashlights, then fled from the area in another vehicle, leaving his 1985 Camaro behind. Rangers found G.S.'s wallet in the Camaro. The wallet contained his parole officer's business card, probation paperwork, and payment receipts that G.S. had written to himself for anger-related events. The two victims positively identified G.S. as their assailant, and a warrant was issued for aggravated assault. The state also voided his parole. G.S. was subsequently picked up on unrelated charges in Riverside, California, and is awaiting extradition to Arizona. [Bud Inman, LAME, 2/17]
A high-performance 47-foot Fountain "cigarette" boat, valued at $375,000, ran aground at high speed in upper Boulder Basin east of Burro Point some time after midnight on the morning of March 23, 1998. Four of the seven occupants were killed; three, including the operator, M.Y., were injured. The deceased were M.Y.'s wife, C.Y., 44, M.K., 26, E.C., 27, and P.E., 47. On Monday, February 1st, M.Y. pled guilty to four counts of manslaughter in Mohave County superior court in Kingman, Arizona. On March 3rd, M.Y. was sentenced to four years in prison for the death of Cason and ordered to pay $4,700 in restitution to E.C.'s family. He was also sentenced to concurrent, seven-year probation periods for the three other deaths and must perform 1,000 hours of community service. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 3/8]
The skeletal remains of a human body were found by a park visitor on Kingman Wash Road on the afternoon of March 9th. The death is under investigation; the victim has not yet been positively identified. The county sheriff's office is assisting in the investigation. [Dispatch, LAME, 3/9]
On March 7th, a Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) game warden asked rangers to help him locate a stolen boat and trailer in Plateau Cove on Lake Mohave, which is part of the park. Ranger Glen Anderson responded by boat from Cottonwood Cove. The warden had meanwhile determined that the suspects - J.C., 31, and T.W., 22 - had just left the area in a motor home. Another warden stopped the vehicle outside of Nelson, Nevada, about a half hour later. J.C. got out of the motor home and fled, leaving T.W. and a five-year-old boy behind. NDOW again asked for help; rangers Andy Coriell, Ryan Regnell and Paul Crawford and city officers searched the area, including an abandoned mining claim and various trailers, vehicles and shacks. The search then moved to a wash and the mountainside above it, where a helicopter with an infrared detection device picked up the hiding J.C. J.C. and T.W. were arrested. Both have extensive criminal histories; T.W. had just been released from prison on a stolen vehicle charge. The two had stolen the motor home and a boat on a trailer behind it. They launched the boat into the water by backing the trailer off a ledge until the boat fell into the water. They attempted to recover it by disconnecting the trailer from the RV, lifting the boat onto the trailer, then pulling the trailer back to the RV using ropes. This proved to be an unsuccessful strategy, so they abandoned the boat and took off in the motor home. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 3/13]
Park dispatch was notified by visitors of a serious rollover accident on the Katherines Landing access road around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of Friday, March 12th. Ranger/medics and a park fire engine were dispatched. When the first ranger arrived, Bullhead City fire and police units were on the scene, treating the three survivors of the accident. A fourth - A.M., 18, of Bullhead City - was killed. The vehicle caught fire and was fully consumed. Alcohol and high speed were contributing factors. The accident is being jointly investigated by the park and the county. [John Miser, LAME, 3/12]
The Mohave County emergency dispatch center received a report of a boat fire in Katherine Harbor at 4:45 a.m. on May 5th. The Katherine fire brigade responded with one engine, Bullhead City provided two engines and an ambulance, and Lake Mohave Resort dispatched a fire boat. They found two boats fully engulfed in fire and a number of others threatened by the flames. The fire boat, floating fire pumps, and hand lines from on-shore engines were used to fight the fire. Four vessels were cut loose so that they could drift away from the blaze. Three other vessels and the marina's walkway were slightly damaged. There were no injuries and environmental damage was limited to a small amount of floating debris. The arson investigator from Bullhead City and the criminal investigator from the park's Mohave District are cooperating in the investigation. Preliminary indications are that the fire may be suspicious in nature. [Ralph Patterson, LAME, 5/5]
V.B., 49, was swimming in Chili Pepper Cove on the afternoon of May 13th when he began having difficulty. He went under before bystanders who saw he was in trouble could reach him. His body was located in about 21 feet of water by the park's dive team. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/13]
J.R., 28, dove off a boat at Hemenway Fishing Point to swim to shore on the afternoon of May 13th. He never surfaced. The park's dive team found his body in eight feet of water. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/13]
L.M.-D., 22, disappeared while swimming at the North Swim Beach on the afternoon of May 13th. A park diver found him in about six feet of water and brought him to shore. CPR was begun immediately; he was flown to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/13]
A patrol ranger came upon a vehicle near a dumpster in Gypsum Wash on the afternoon of May 15th and discovered a burned body inside. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department is handling the investigation. The victim has been identified as Richard Crawford, 60. The preliminary investigation indicates a possible suicide. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/15]
On May 16th, rangers responded to the report of a drowning at Government Wash. D.H-L. of Las Vegas had been swimming with friends when he went underwater. Ranger Andy Corriel was first on scene and was soon joined by ranger/divers Ryan Regnell and Paul Crawford. Regnell recovered D.H-L.'s body from 35 feet of water within a minute. Resuscitation was begun immediately by rangers Robert Moelder, Tom McDermott, Randy Neal and local rescue personnel. D.H-L. was flown to the UMC Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead. This was the fourth drowning in the park in four days. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 5/17]
Ranger Randy Neal came upon two vehicles parked on East Lake Mead Boulevard near the Northshore Road intersection at 11:10 p.m. on May 16th. Neither had their lights on, nor appeared to be disabled. Neal stopped and watched from a distance. One of the vehicles pulled forward and stopped; a streak of flame, later determined to be a Molotov cocktail, issued from it and struck the parked car, a 1998 Mustang. Neal advised dispatch of a vehicle fire and pursued, cut off and stopped the other car. The two occupants - J.V., 36, and J.G., 36, both of Las Vegas - were held at gun point until backup arrived. Both men had materials with them, including matches, that were confiscated as evidence. J.G. also smelled of gasoline, and J.V. had a Ford vehicle key in his possession. They were booked into the Clark County Detention Center on felony arson charges. The Mustang was destroyed. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 5/18]
About 250 kids from UCLA's water skiing club gathered in the Katherine area over the May 15th weekend. They broke two windows and 17 chairs in the motel, broke into a room, and trashed the entire motel area. Many attempted to buy alcohol though underage, and berated concession employees who asked for identification. Rangers made them pour out their beer, then found the same people drinking beer again two or three minutes later. Their boats were grossly overloaded. Citations were written to many members of the group, who complained that they were being singled out for persecution. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/20]
Rangers responded to an accident on the Katherine Access Road at Stopsign Cove at 8:30 p.m. on the evening of Thursday, May 13th. A vehicle driven by J.H. left the right side of the road, hit an embankment, and went down a 35% slope. J.H. was pinned behind the steering wheel and under the pedals; Joshua Baxter, an adult of unknown age, was lying outside and below the vehicle; J.J., 9, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was lying in the back seat. Chains were attached to the vehicle while rescue efforts were undertaken to prevent it from rolling onto Baxter, who was lying downhill. J.J. had symptoms of severe brain damage. He was flown to a hospital in Las Vegas and remained in the ICU until pronounced dead on the evening of May 19th. J.H. was found to have a blood alcohol level of .147%. Negligent manslaughter charges are being filed against him. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/20]
Rangers in the Boulder Basin District took nine people in custody for alcohol-related offenses during a span of 40 minutes on the afternoon of Sunday, May 23rd. Ranger Ryan Regnell came upon a vehicle parked on Northshore Drive, several of its five adult male occupants standing outside urinating. All were drunk and one had an active arrest warrant. Four were arrested for public intoxication, the other on the active warrant. Shortly thereafter, ranger Paul Crawford stopped two vehicles for traffic violations on the same road near Government Wash. Each was occupied by a driver and passenger. Ranger Art Gunzel took the lead on one vehicle while Crawford worked the other. Both drivers were arrested for operating under the influence; both passengers, who were drunker than the drivers, were arrested for public intoxication. A while later, off-duty ranger Brian Cooperider spotted what appeared to be a drunken driver heading out of the park towards Boulder City. Ranger Randy Neal stopped it, but the driver then started up again and continued into the city at about 20 mph. The 50-year-old driver was taken into custody after she parked at her residence. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/24]
The park and the Desert Valley Water Safety Council hosted the first annual Water Safety Fair at the special events beach in the Boulder Basin District on the weekend of May 22nd-23rd. The council is chartered under the National Water Safety Congress; members include the NPS, Coast Guard Auxiliary, United States Power Squadron, Nevada Division of Wildlife, Lake Mead Boat Owners Association, marine retailers, marine operators, and several boating and diving clubs. The two-day event included instruction, demonstrations, and dissemination of information on water safety. Activities included kayaking, cardboard boat building, rescue relays, PWC education, rides, and boat demonstrations. The park staged a mock water rescue at the end of each day. The president of the council is retired park ranger Bob McKeever. [Bud Inman, LAME, 5/24]
Over 250,000 people visited the park over the three days of the Memorial Day weekend. Rangers made 31 arrests and worked 37 medicals, 21 motor vehicle accidents and 15 boat accidents, but there were no fatalities over the weekend. Highlights from the weekend from the Boulder Basin District and Mohave District include the following: o A ranger stopped a vehicle for speeding on May 27th. The registration did not match the vehicle; an identification number check revealed that it was stolen out of Washington state. The driver was arrested for possession of the stolen vehicle and for being under the influence. The passenger was a suspect in campsite thefts at Government Wash and was also taken into custody. o After assisting Northshore rangers with a fight at Boxcar Cove on May 30th, rangers crossed paths with a felony robbery suspect from Riverside, California. Authorities in Riverside had received a tip that the subject was a frequent visitor to the lake and that he camped in the backcountry. He was to be considered armed and dangerous, as he had stated he was not going back to prison. He was taken into custody without incident. His companion was a 13-year-old female. o Rangers responded to the end of the right fork of Government Wash on May 30th, where there was a report of a large group of people fighting. Weapons were reportedly involved. At the same time, rangers had four people in custody from an MVA, another being detained for disorderly conduct, and a possible armed subject who was thought to be part of the fugitive arrest. Upon arrival at the fight scene, members of the group dispersed into different beach camps. Several people had been beaten with two-by-fours, baseball bats, rocks, hands and feet. The fight occurred after the victims refused to by drugs from the suspects, who had been going from camp to camp attempting to sell narcotics. It was reported that the suspects had fled to the extreme end of the right fork, which was densely occupied. After arriving on scene, the responding rangers realized that they were understaffed to perform a safe and effective sweep of the area. All available rangers were immediately called out, along with a police helicopter from Las Vegas Metro. The area was sealed off, and a dozen rangers and a local officer swept it to locate the suspects. Forty individuals were removed from the area in a felony stop type of operation. Four were eventually identified and taken into custody. The firearms that were seen by numerous visitors were never located. o A possible hate crime assault occurred in the houseboat boarding area of the Back Bay on May 30th. A pickup with eight to ten Hispanic men yelled obscenities at an Armenian group with children. The group objected and a fight broke out. Two children and two women were assaulted by the men, who then fled the scene. o Two juvenile boys were the victims of a motor vehicle accident on the South Swim Beach on the 30th. They were lying on a blanket behind a parked vehicle in the parking area. A vehicle parked next to the boys backed up, then headed forward, running over one of the boys and striking the other. Both were transported to the UMC Trauma Center. o The driver of a rental boat hit a Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) boat outside the harbor on the night of May 30th. The warden was not injured. The boater had approached the warden with a question. While trying to maneuver his boat in close, the operator added power when he should have gone into reverse and struck the stern of the NDOW boat. The boat operator was arrested for operating under the influence. o Rangers working an MVA received a report of a drive-by shooting on Northshore Drive on May 31st. The vehicles involved were located at the Hemenway launch ramp, 12 miles from the scene of the incident. Rangers and state game wardens made three high-risk vehicle stops. The gun - a .45 ACP Ruger - was found in one of the vehicles. One of the occupants of the vehicles admitted that he fired two shots in the air while driving. He was arrested for firing from a motor vehicle and having a loaded weapon. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 6/10]
A group of rangers and state enforcement officers known as "the Wolfpack" conducted an operation to check for boaters operating under the influence (OUI) in the Cottonwood Cover Harbor on Lake Mohave on the afternoon of Saturday, June 19th. The Wolfpack is the enforcement unit of the Drowning Awareness Response Team (DART) that was developed by the park last summer and consists of rangers and game wardens from the National Park Service, the Nevada Division of Wildlife, and Arizona Game and Fish. As vessels entered the harbor, they passed buoys that indicated that an OUI check point was taking place, then were directed to a dock by rangers and wardens in boats and on personal watercraft. Boaters were also advised that this action was part of a DART effort to reduce the number of accidents and drownings that occur in the park. During the operation, 157 vessels with 512 people onboard went through the check point. Vessel operators were first checked for alcohol consumption; if they appeared to be unimpaired, then a safety inspection was performed on the vessel. No verbal warnings were given for several violations - failure to have the proper number of and properly sized personal flotation devices (PFDs), failure to have a type IV throwable PFD aboard, missing fire extinguishers, and registration violations. A total of 39 citations and 24 warnings for other violations were issued. Children who were found to be wearing PFDs were given T-shirts and other goodies. Those operators who appeared impaired were given a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test. Five operators were taken into custody for OUI. Once arrested, they were taken aboard a Forever Resorts houseboat which served as the incident command post and booking area, complete with an Intoxilyzer 5000 for breath tests. [Paul G. Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, Lake Mead NRA, 6/22]
On July 5th, R.J., 59, was returning to Callville Bay with friends in a small Zodiac boat when the Zodiac was struck by a vessel being operated by the 17-year-old son of one of the members of the party. A young child and dog were rescued, but R.J. could not be found and is presumed dead. An investigation is underway. [Terri Greene, Dispatch, LAME, 7/6]
J.R., 19, was heading north on Northshore Road at a high rate of speed on the evening of July 5th when his Mustang swerved into the southbound lane and struck a Toyota. The Mustang broke into two pieces and J.R. was thrown about 75 to 100 feet and killed. All persons involved in the accident were wearing seatbelts. [Terri Greene, Dispatch, LAME, 7/6]
D.R., 48, and a female companion were tubing on Government Wash on the afternoon of July 4th. Gusty winds blew the tube offshore and D.R. swam after it. He disappeared in the middle of the cove. [Terri Greene, Dispatch, LAME, 7/6]
On the evening of June 28th, park dispatch notified rangers of a disabled vessel south of Cottonwood Cove. The vessel, which was occupied by five intoxicated men, was placed under tow. Rangers asked them to put on their life jackets, as is required within the park. They replied that they were police officers and that they didn't need the advice of rangers. They did not have enough life jackets with them, and the boat lacked other required safety equipment. The officers became hostile and threatening toward the rangers while the boat was being inspected. Other rangers arrived on scene by both land and water. The officers continued their belligerence, stating that they would "kick (the rangers') asses." One member of the group fled; those remaining said that it would take every ranger in the park to apprehend him if the rangers attempted to do so. The officer who fled was arrested three hours later and booked into jail for interfering with an agency function and disorderly conduct. Other members of the group were cited for safety violations, interfering with an agency function, and public intoxication. A loaded and cocked .45 caliber handgun was found during a search of the vessel. A sergeant from the agency's professional standards division flew into Cottonwood the following day to interview the rangers involved in the incident and to apologize for the officers' behavior. [Ralph Patterson, DR, Mohave District, LAME, 7/6]
J.R., 17, was at the marina at Katherine Landing with his parents on the afternoon of July 29th. He jumped into the water from the family's houseboat to install spark plugs in two personal watercraft. As he climbed back onto the houseboat, he complained about a tingling sensation in his legs that got stronger as he approached the stern of the houseboat. His mother reached over to try and help him and received a shock; her husband grabbed her and was also shocked. A passing visitor unplugged the boat from shore power, terminating the electrical charge in the water. Concession divers recovered J.R.'s body in 30 feet of water. CPR was begun and he was taken to Bullhead City Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. [Dispatch, LAME, 7/29]
P.M., 40, of las Vegas, Nevada, lost control of his motorcycle on Lake Mead Boulevard and went off the road just before 4 a.m. on July 21st. He was flown to a city hospital, where he was pronounced dead. State police are investigating. [Dispatch, LAME, 7/22]
A.S., 37, was fishing from shore with a friend near the marina at Overton Beach on August 8th. He went off to look at the marina and apparently lost his balance on the docks, fell into the water and drowned. He was reported missing by a companion an hour and a half later. Rangers conducted extensive ground, water and air searches for him. A.S.'s body was found in the marina two days later by a concessions worker. Alcohol is presumed to have been a contributing factor. A.S. was on active duty in the Army, so military authorities are investigating in conjunction with rangers. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/10]
A blue and white single-engine plane was seen flying low over Eldorado Canyon on the afternoon of August 10th. The plane banked south, then flew into the canyon wall. Pilot E.B., 51, was killed; a passenger was flown to the trauma center at a local hospital. The incident is under investigation by the park, FAA and NTSB. This is the park's 19th fatality this year. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/10]
Additional information has been received on the aircraft accident that occurred in the park on the afternoon of August 10th. B.L. of Henderson, Nevada, was visiting the Nelsons Landing area when he saw the single-engine aircraft enter Eldorado Wash, narrowly missing a cliff. The aircraft continued up the wash, then banked to the left and struck a slope on the south side of the wash. B.L. went to the scene of the accident, where he found both occupants alive but unresponsive, then went back to his car and dialed 911. Responding units were at first directed to Aztec Wash, as that was where B.L. thought he was located. The accident scene was found by ranger/pilot Bruce Lenon from a park aircraft; he redirected units to the correct location. A Las Vegas Metro PD helicopter and a county medevac helicopter were first on scene. Rangers and other emergency personnel arrived shortly thereafter and began patient care. E.B., 51, of Louisiana, had already expired. C.S., 23, of California, was seriously injured but alive. He was flown to a trauma center in Las Vegas, where he remains in critical condition. E.B. and his son had just purchased the aircraft in Boulder City. C.S., a flight instructor, was evidently giving each of the B.s a check-out flight prior to their departure for Louisiana. The accident is under investigation by the NPS, FAA and NTSB. Supervisory park ranger Paul Crawford was IC for the incident and the subsequent removal of the aircraft. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 8/11]
A group of rangers and state enforcement officers known as "the Wolfpack" conducted an operation to check for boaters operating under the influence (OUI) in Callville Bay on Lake Mead on the afternoon of Sunday, August 1st. The Wolfpack is the enforcement unit of the Drowning Awareness Response Team (DART) that was developed by the park last summer and consists of rangers and game wardens from the National Park Service, the Nevada Division of Wildlife, and Arizona Game and Fish. Also present at the check point were narcotics officers from the Nevada Division of Investigation and a trooper from the Nevada Highway Patrol. As vessels entered the harbor, they passed buoys that indicated that an OUI check point was taking place, then were directed to a dock by rangers and wardens in boats and on personal watercraft. Boaters were also advised that this action was part of a DART effort to reduce the number of accidents and drownings that occur in the park. During the operation, 274 vessels with 963 people onboard went through the check point. Vessel operators were first checked for alcohol consumption; if they appeared to be unimpaired, then a safety inspection was performed on the vessel. No verbal warnings were given for several violations - failure to have the proper number of and properly sized personal flotation devices (PFDs), failure to have a type IV throwable PFD aboard, missing fire extinguishers, and registration violations. A total of 46 citations and 36 warnings for other violations were issued. Children who were found to be wearing PFDs were given T-shirts and other goodies. Those operators who appeared impaired were given a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test. Three operators were taken into custody, two for OUI and one for a felony warrant. Once arrested, they were taken aboard a Forever Resorts houseboat which served as the incident command post and booking area, complete with an Intoxilyzer 5000 for breath tests. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 8/6]
The park received a report of a drowning at South Beach at Boulder Swim Beach at 2:55 p.m. on the afternoon of August 22nd. Ranger Tom McDermott was on scene within minutes; he took of his shirt, shoes, duty belt and body armor, donned a mask, fins and snorkel, and swam out 50 feet to the victim. He found F.R., 31, of Los Angeles, in eight feet of water at 2:59 p.m. and brought him to shore. McDermott and rangers Paul Crawford and Randy Neal began CPR and advanced life support. F.R. was taken by park ambulance to a medivac helicopter, then flown to a hospital in Henderson. He was pronounced dead just before 4 p.m. Family members who were interviewed said that F.R. had consumed a large meal and two beers before he went swimming, and that he was swimming and talking with friends and family when he began having trouble, went underwater, resurfaced, then disappeared. His death was the 20th fatality in the park this year. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 8/23]
Parks throughout the system are making preparations for millennium-related events which will take place on or around New Years Eve. The Morning Report will provide continuing updates on those preparations and on the activities themselves as they occur. Today's initial entry comes from Jerry McCarthy in Pacific West Region: o Mojave NP/Death Valley NP/Joshua Tree NP/Lake Mead NRA (CA/NV) - Staff from the four parks will meet in December to prepare a desert contingency plan. All are expecting heavy visitation, particularly Lake Mead, which will receive spillover from Las Vegas. Plans presently call for having all law enforcement staff on duty for the event. Parks making similar preparations are encouraged to submit short summaries to the Morning Report. [Editor]
Ranger Robert Moelder was called to Lake Mead Marina on the afternoon of November 27th to investigate a possible instance of attempted credit card fraud. As he approached the suspect's vessel, he heard an apparent gunshot and found the man slumped over. Medical personnel were summoned and declared him dead. All evidence indicates that he committed suicide by a single gunshot to his head. His identification appears to be fictitious. The investigation continues. [Terri Greene, Dispatch, LAME, 11/28]
Ranger Robert Moelder ran a registration check on a pickup truck with New Mexico plates near Hemenway on the afternoon of December 31st. The check came back with an NCIC hit for a runaway juvenile female. Moelder and ranger Jeff Goad stopped the pickup on Lakeshore Drive. They found that the truck was being driven by J.E., 22, of Roswell, New Mexico, and that his companion fit the description of the 15-year-old runaway. During the stop, J.E. started the truck and took off, with Moelder, Goad and ranger Brian Cooperider in pursuit. Ranger Paul Crawford joined in and ended up immediately behind J.E.'s truck as he headed down U.S. 93 toward Hoover Dam. J.E. drove recklessly while approaching the dam, passing wildly on the narrow, winding, two-lane road and passing on blind corners. Crawford slowed the pursuit and had dispatch advise Hoover Dam police to stop traffic. J.E. continued on, driving up to 80 mph and passing on the shoulder. Ranger Bill Sherman and a Bureau of Reclamation helicopter jointed the pursuit. Ranger Chuck Hahn placed "stop sticks' on the highway, deflating and disintegrating the truck's right front tire, but J.E. continued on the steel wheel, still reaching speeds as high as 70 mph. A county deputy placed more "stop sticks" on the road; J.E. aimed his vehicle at him, but the deputy was able to get out of the way. This time, the front left and right rear tires were deflated. J.E. pressed on, speed undiminished, but began to lose control of the truck. By this time, he was on a four-lane, divided highway. He veered sharply to his left; the truck crossed the median and rolled over several times before coming to rest on its roof. Both J.E. and his passenger were wearing seatbelts but were initially unresponsive. When rangers went to assist him, he became combative and shouted at them to kill him. Both were removed from the vehicle and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. J.E. will be charged with one count of felony flight and with the attempted murder of a police officer. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 1/3]
On the morning of March 8th, the campground host at Boulder Beach told a maintenance worker that she hadn't seen any activity in one of the sites at the campground for several days. The body of T.B., 61, was found in his tent, along with the remnants of a charcoal fire. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the suspected cause of death. [Jodi Wilson, Dispatch, LAME, 3/8]
B.G., 20, was operating his personal watercraft on Las Vegas Bay late on the afternoon of April 2nd when he fell off. Friends picked him up and took him to a medical facility in Las Vegas. He was then transferred to a city hospital, where he expired. The cause of death is not known. [Dispatch, LAME, 4/22]
R.W., 14, was rafting on the lake with his mother on the afternoon of April 21st. The raft's oar blew overboard and R.W. dove in to retrieve it. High winds blew the raft away from the boy. R.W.'s mother called 911 on her cell phone to report the incident. Rangers responded and were taken to the boy's last known location. They were unable to find him and eventually had to call off the search because of darkness. The search resumed the following day. R.W.'s body was found in 24 feet of water off South Beach. [Dispatch, LAME, 4/23]
J.C., 22, dove off a cliff on Middle Boulder Island into the lake on the afternoon of May 22nd. The water at this location was shallow, though, and he hit bottom. Bystanders called 911 on a cellular phone; the park was notified by local fire and rescue departments. J.C. was flown to a trauma center in Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/22]
E.M., 17, was swimming in Government Wash with some friends on the afternoon of Monday, May 29th. E.M., who was not a good swimmer, disappeared under the water. Park and Nevada Division of Wildlife personnel searched for him in the lake and found him about 20 feet off shore. He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/30]
E.M., 17, who drowned in the lake at Government Wash on May 30th, was one of three teenagers swimming at that location. A second 17-year-old nearly drowned in his efforts to rescue E.M. and required treatment at the hospital in Las Vegas. He was found to have a blood alcohol level of .238 and had also been smoking marijuana. Investigator Gary Sebade is attempting to find out who purchased the alcohol for the teens. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 5/31]
A park visitor found the body of a 32-year-old man floating about two miles offshore from South Swim Beach on the morning of June 5th. The victim was identified as a person reported missing from the Boulder Beach Campground on May 31st. The cause of death has been ruled as suicide. This was the park's twelfth fatality this year. [Dispatch, LAME, 6/5)
The interior of an entrance station under construction and about 80% complete was burned in an arson fire at 4 a.m. on Sunday, June 18th. The building is located on East Lake Mead Boulevard. It appears that entry was gained by prying open the door, and that the fire was set in a box housing the air conditioning unit. All the sheet rock, the electrical work and the air conditioning unit will have to be replaced. The fire is under investigation by park and county investigators and ATF agents. The station is isolated and on a road that local gangs use to come to the lake. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 6/19]
J.N., 37, and several friends went to Boxcar Cove on July 24th to jet ski. His companions report that he was on the water all day, that he'd been drinking heavily, and that he was taking prescription pain pills in the evening. When his friends went to bed, he was still up and "partying." When they checked on him in his tent the next morning, they found that he had died. The death has been ruled an overdose. [Cate Cleary, Dispatch, LAME, 6/27]
On April 4th, ten Bendix King radios from Lake Mead NRA were recovered during the execution of a federal search warrant at Maverick Communications in Commerce City, Colorado. The owner of Maverick Communications, J.M., had been in possession of the radios for six months, and had refused to respond to all inquiries about their status or requests to return them. J.M. has a history of questionable business practices, and several other law enforcement agencies, including the U. S. Marshals Service, have had trouble recovering their radios from him. If you have had any business dealings with J.M. or he is in possession of any of your radios, please contact SA Susan Morton in Denver at 303-969-2862. [Susan Morton, SA, IMRO, 6/30]
A 29-year-old seasonal park firefighter died of injuries sustained in a helicopter crash while working on the Charlie Fire in northern Nevada yesterday evening. The incident occurred when the helicopter was taking off. Two others were injured in the crash. The name is not being released pending notification of next of kin. Further information will appear in the Morning Report as soon as it is available. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 8/3; Tim Simonds, LAME, 8/4]
On July 22nd, Lake Mead NRA rangers Thane Weigand and Marc Burt and Grand Canyon NP ranger Chris Mengel responded to a report of an aircraft emergency landing near Pearce Ferry. The twin-engine Piper Navajo tour plane from Boulder City had lost one of its engines over Grand Canyon. The pilot attempted to fly to emergency landing strips in the area, but the plane continued to lose altitude over the next 40 miles of travel and he was unable to climb to the altitude of any of those strips. He therefore landed on a beach across from the South Cove launch ramp. Neither the pilot nor any of his nine passengers was injured. The aircraft will be removed in a salvage operation. [Thane Weigand, IC, LAME, 8/4]
Park firefighter Phillip "Pip" Conner died on Thursday, August 3rd, when the helicopter he was riding in crashed while taking off from a fire helibase. Phil was a member of the Las Vegas Interagency Helitak Team, which had been assigned to the Charley Complex near Wells, Nevada. He was a four-year veteran of the park's wildland fire crew. Funeral services will be held at noon on Tuesday, August 8th, at Central Christian Church, 1001 New Beginnings Road in Henderson. Internment will take place at Veterans Cemetery in Boulder City between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. the same day. Uniformed NPS employees are to wear their Class A winter uniforms. A viewing will be held tonight between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. at Davis Mortuary, 2127 West Charleston, Las Vegas. The family suggests that donations be made in lieu of flowers to either Central Christian Church Youth and Scholarship for Camp and Missions (1001 New Beginnings Road, Henderson, NV 89015) or the Lake Mead NRA Emergency Services Donation Account (Lake Mead NRA, 601 Nevada Highway, Boulder City, NV 89005). Condolences may be sent to his mother, C.C. CISD teams are assisting employees, family and others as needed. [Public Affairs, LAME, 8/7]
Funeral services were held yesterday for firefighter Phillip "Pip" Conner at the Central Christian Church in Henderson, Nevada. More than 550 family, friends and fellow workers attended the service. In addition to National Park Service staff from all divisions at Lake Mead NRA, the services were attended by NPS staff from Mojave National Preserve and Death Valley National Park and representatives from BLM, USFS, the Nevada Division of Forestry, five local fire departments, police departments and the Nevada State Patrol. Regional Director John Reynolds represented the director. An honor guard from the Clark County Fire Department, including a bagpiper, was present for the presentation of the flag. Friends and family shared stories of "Pip" - he was remembered for his love for flying, helicopters and fighting fire, and for his big smile and "can do" attitude. A mile-and-a-half long motorcade comprised of fire trucks and other apparatus from the NPS, BLM, USFS and local fire departments, park law enforcement vehicles, and other vehicles escorted the family and casket for the 15 miles from the church to Veteran's Cemetery in Boulder City. The service there included presentation of flags and a flyover by a Flight For Life helicopter. The support offered by national, state and federal agencies in honoring Phillip Conner was overwhelming. Park staff extend their appreciation to everyone. [Katherine Rohde, LAME, 8/8]
On August 14th, C.D., 41, was attempting to pull out a vehicle with his jeep when the tow rope snapped and the jeep plunged down a 40- to 50-foot embankment, landing upside down in about 25 feet of water. Rangers were called in. They found a four-year-old boy who had been ejected from the jeep into the water and learned that C.D. and another child - B.D., age two - were still in the vehicle. Divers were called in and found the bodies of C.D. and B.D. inside the jeep. An investigation is underway. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/14]
A couple driving down Burro Wash Road on the afternoon of September 10th found a body in a wash and reported their findings to the Boulder City Police Department. They in turn notified the park. The couple led ranger Paul Crawford and a BCPD officer to the scene, where they found the body of D.H., 25, of Boulder City. D.H. was wanted by police for the attempted murder of his mother on September 5th. He had beaten her with his fists, a toaster and a gun. D.H. has a history of mental illness and contacts with/arrests by rangers and local officers and was not taking his medication at the time of the incident. Preliminary investigation indicates no foul play. It appears that he wandered in the desert and fell victim to the heat and lack of food and water. He was about six miles south of Boulder City. The final cause of death will be determined by autopsy. [Paul G. Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 9/11]
On the afternoon of October 2nd, the nearby Henderson Police Department broadcast a notice to attempt to locate a 55-year-old bipolar woman who was despondent over the death of her father. The woman was also reported to have recently lost her job and to have left a note with her husband saying that she intended to harm herself. Rangers Joe Hayes and Paul Crawford were on an ALS call in Callville Bay when an area volunteer reported spotting a vehicle in the Las Vegas Bay parking area that matched the description of the one the woman was driving. The rangers responded and found the woman inside. She was alert and oriented, but admitted that she'd taken 20 Cloanazpam and 20 Carbamazepine pills. She said she'd taken the drugs four hours earlier and was disappointed that they were taking so long to work. Crawford summoned a Henderson rescue unit and had dispatch check with Las Vegas Poison Control. They advised that the doses were lethal and that onset would be indicated by sleepiness. Hayes kept her talking and monitored her vitals. She didn't become sleepy until the rescue unit arrived on scene. She was taken to a hospital in Henderson and treated for the overdose. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 10/3]
On the morning of October 14th, rangers at Katherine Landing checked out a trespassing complaint at a vacation trailer site in the trailer village. They came upon a man who had been evicted from the trailer two weeks earlier at the owner's requests. He was arrested. Further investigation led to the discovery of signs that the trailer had been used to manufacture methamphetamine. Local narcotics officers were called in to help with the investigation and dismantle the lab. Further investigation indicated that the man was renting out the trailer to a known local drug dealer so he could manufacture drugs. Rangers and local officers gathered sufficient information to seek arrest warrants for several local drug dealers and determined the location of two more labs in the Bullhead City area. The investigation continues. [Ralph Patterson, DR, LAME, 10/19]
The Silver State Bank in Boulder City was robbed of $1,000 in cash by an armed man at 2:40 p.m. on the afternoon of November 8th. The robber escaped in a brown Mazda RS-7 and was last seen heading toward Hoover Dam and the park. A description was broadcast to all officers and rangers in the area just after 3 p.m. Ranger Robert Moelder reported that he'd seen the man about 30 minutes before at the Hacienda Hotel and Casino, a private inholding within the park. He relocated the Mazda at 3:11 p.m. in the Hacienda's parking lot. Moelder was joined by rangers Bill Sherman and Tom Valenta and special agent Mike Blandford. They watched the hotel while Boulder City officers walked through the building in an effort to flush the robber. At 3:50 p.m., Moelder saw the man leave the hotel on the west side, circle around the hotel toward the east side, cross Highway 93, and appear to make a phone call at a gas station. As he was leaving the gas station, he spotted Sherman's unmarked vehicle and began to run from him. Rangers and officers responded. The man jumped a fence and ran down an embankment directly in the path of Valenta's patrol car. Valenta braked but hit the man, who fell, then got up and continued running. Valenta got out of his cruiser, drew his weapon, and ordered the man to stop. Blandford at the same time pulled his vehicle into the man's path. The man stopped and surrendered. District ranger Steve Drolet assisted in the capture. Most of the stolen money has been recovered, but the gun has not yet been found. The man had evidently called in a bomb threat to Boulder City Hall, then robbed the bank when all the city's police units were at that location. Boulder City police and FBI agents are continuing the investigation. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 11/9]
Visitors Jean Henry and Clark Ross came upon a man hanging from a tree while they were hiking on the Gold Strike trail on Christmas Day. They freed the man, a 58-year-old Boulder City resident; Ross began CPR while Henry returned to the trailhead and summoned help. Rangers Wes Houk and Paul Crawford arrived and found that the man was breathing on his own but was unconscious and unresponsive. ALS was accordingly begun. Within about 10 minutes, the man became conscious and combative. Over the next two hours, he continued to fight with Houk, Crawford and ranger Joe Hayes, repeatedly taking off his oxygen mask and pulling out his IV line. He was finally restrained on a backboard with the assistance of members of the Las Vegas PD SAR team, then taken to the Alan Bible VC, picked up by a Flight for Life helicopter, and taken to the UMC Trauma Center in Las Vegas. During the incident, the rangers learned that the man was an alcoholic, that he was suffering from a brain tumor, and that he had made several suicide attempts in this past. In this attempt, he had tied the arms of his jacket around a branch, put his head through the loop made by the jacket arms, twisted the jacket until it was tight around his neck, then bent his legs at the knees in an effort to hang himself. [Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 12/25]
Someone attempted to firebomb the park's ranger/resource operations building, location of a round-the-clock interagency communications center, around 5 a.m. on January 3rd. Some hate type graffiti was painted on the back street wall of the operations building, and an accelerant of unknown type was tossed against a nearby tree adjacent to the building, setting it on fire. Another device was thrown through a window, but went out before setting the building on fire. A third device was thrown at one of the dispatcher's vehicles in the parking lot. This device also failed to go off. ATF has taken over the investigation of the case, and has a substantial amount of evidence to work with. There were also six other identical attempted starts on parked vehicles in Boulder City - none were as radical, none with associated hate graffiti. ATF feels that the park building was the main target, and that the other attempts were diversions. Rangers and Boulder City police are assisting in the investigation. [Bruce Lennon, LAME, 1/3]
For the second time in three weeks, the ranger/resources office, home of the park's 24-hour dispatch center, has been hit by an arsonist. Boulder City FD received a report of a fire at that location at 8:45 p.m. on January 18th. A quick investigation of the scene was conducted by NPS fire and law enforcement personnel before the fire was suppressed; although no evidence was found, the strong odor of an accelerant was detected. Samples were taken and will be sent to ATF for correlation with those taken in the previous incident. An Eagle Scout in the chief ranger's Boy Scout troop subsequently reported that he'd given a friend a ride that evening, and that she had told him that her boyfriend had been talking with two friend about the fire. She got scared and left and was walking home when he picked her up. The information supplied by the scout led to the arrest of one person on unrelated warrants and follow-up reports on two others whose families are "Constitutionalists" - a faction that doesn't recognize federal authority in many arenas. The investigation continues. [Dale Antonich, CR, DEVA, 1/19]
On the afternoon of February 18th, a Boulder City police officer was stopped in traffic on U.S. 93 that was backed up for seven miles due to an accident on the dam when he was passed by a sedan traveling on the shoulder at a high rate of speed. The officer pulled out from the lane of stopped vehicles and attempted to stop the car. The driver, later identified as R.M., 32, of Boulder City, stopped, then took off again as the officer got out of his cruiser. The pursuit continued and entered the park. The car struck the trailer of a tractor-trailer rig and several other vehicles, which caused it to go off the road and roll over. R.M. was ejected and killed instantly. Her motive for fleeing is unknown. The Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating. [Paul Crawford, Acting DR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 2/19]
A body was found at Nelson's Landing in Eldorado Canyon around 8:30 p.m. on April 2nd. The 47-year-old man died from a gunshot wound to the head. The death has been ruled a suicide. [Bert Byers, Dispatch, LAME, 4/3]
T.M., 19, was jet-skiing in Chili Pepper Cover with a friend on the afternoon of Monday, April 9th. They both tried to jump the wake of a boat and collided head-on. T.M. was killed in the accident. [Cate Clary, Dispatch, LAME, 4/10]
Four people on a boat in Placer Cove were dumped into the lake on the evening of April 7th when their boat overturned. Three survived, but the fourth - D.H., 25 - drowned. His body was found mid-channel. D.H. was wearing a life jacket. [Dispatch, LAME, 4/11]
On the evening of April 10th, the Clark County Fire Department notified the park of a possible suicide at a trailer in a remote mining camp in the park called Capitol Camp. Ranger Wilford Lopez and criminal investigator Mike Blandford investigated and determined that there had been an extended an on-going conflict between the victim - E.E., 85 - and a neighbor. Due to the suspicious nature of E.E.'s death, Las Vegas Metro PD investigators were summoned. The coroner has not yet released a report on the cause of death. [Dispatch, LAME, 4/11]
On the morning of April 21st, Henderson PD officers pursued a vehicle into the park and south down Lakeshore Drive. The driver, J.P., 25, was wanted for a carjacking that had occurred earlier in the day in their city. The incident began when J.P. was riding in a taxi to the Las Vegas airport. He began acting strangely, causing the driver to become alarmed and seek assistance upon arrival at the airport. J.P. fled from the taxi and jumped into another cab and took off. A 54-year-old woman from Baltimore who was in the cab jumped from the taxi and was seriously injured. She has not yet regained consciousness. J.P. crashed the taxi into a Chevy Blazer in Henderson; when the Blazer's driver got out to examine the damage, J.P. got into the vehicle and fled. The park was advised as the pursuit neared Lake Mead. Ranger Brian Cooperider was at home when he heard the alert broadcast and drove his cruiser to the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Lake Mead Marina. He laid out stop sticks in the southbound lane shoulder to deflate the Blazer's tires, with his cruiser across the northbound lane. At this part of the intersection, the northbound and southbound lanes are separated by a median strip with concrete curbs. J.P. approached the intersection at a high rate of speed, then slowed dramatically when he saw Cooperider's cruiser. The Blazer crossed the median and headed for Cooperider, who was pulling the stop sticks across the road as the vehicle headed toward him. The Blazer hit the patrol vehicle on its left side, but Cooperider was not injured. He was able to clear the roadway so that pursuing vehicles could get through; he attempted to join the chase, but found that his vehicle was partially disabled. J.P. continued out of the park and into Boulder City, where he struck another police car. J.P. then headed back to Las Vegas. A roadblock was set-up on US-95/I-515 south of Flamingo Road by Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Bobby Kintzel. When J.P. came upon it, he aimed the Blazer at Kintzel and crushed him against the side of his cruiser. Kintzel suffered a fractured skull, broken pelvis, broken right leg, and severe internal bleeding. At the time of the report, he was in the ICU and still unconscious. J.P. was finally forced off the road and arrested. During his run through the park, he also sideswiped a vehicle operated by Y.P., 40, of North Las Vegas, forcing her into an embankment. She was not injured. Las Vegas Metro PD is handling the investigation. J.P. has been charged with one count of attempted murder of a police officer, two counts of robbery, and one count of kidnapping. The charges may be amended to include the attempt on Cooperider; federal charges may also be filed. [Paul Crawford, SPR, LAME, 4/23]
A family of four were boating on Lake Mohave at Chili Pepper Cove on the afternoon of June 25th when one of the children fell off an inflatable raft that was being pulled behind the boat. R.G., 44, the boy's father, jumped into the water to rescue his son. He got the boy close to the boat, then, realizing that he was pulling the boy under, pushed him toward the boat, saying "I'm drowning." R.G., who was not wearing a life jacket, went under and did not resurface. Efforts to find him continue; yesterday marked the third day of diving operations. [Dispatch, LAME, 6/27]
Early on the evening of July 12th, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer moving van was the subject of a pursuit from Henderson through Boulder City and into the park. The driver, who was later found to be driving under the influence, had fled from officers. During the pursuit, he had forced vehicles off the road with his rig and collided with other vehicles at road intersections. Hoover Dam PD officers put out road spikes and were able to flatten some of the tries on the truck and trailer. The rig was blocked and disabled on the Arizona side of the dam with the aid of another tractor-trailer. Rangers assisted in the containment of the area around the truck, as the driver had locked himself in and refused to get out. Regional SET members from Lake Mead were notified and deployed immediately from several remote locations to support local officers. The driver was talked into getting out of the truck, however, by an offer of a "cold Coke." He was arrested on several charges, including DUI. [Dale Antonich, CR, DEVA, 7/18]
K.R., 33, died of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on Lake Mead Drive late on the evening of July 9th. He was found down an embankment at mile 8 and flown to the UMC Trauma Center, where he later passed away. [Dispatch, LAME, 7/10]
On July 28th, M.G., 48, was killed when he was run over by a boat trailer at Government Wash. M.G. had been riding on the trailer hitch between the trailer and the truck; when the truck stopped, M.G. fell off, then was run over. [Dispatch, LAME, 7/28]
On the afternoon of August 19th, a boat pulled in to the launch ramp at Katherine's Landing with a drowning victim on board. CPR was in progress on J.M., 48, and was taken over by rangers. Bullhead City Rescue transported J.M. to the Western Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. [Rosemary Greer, Dispatch, LAME, 8/19]
The park received a request to make a welfare check on a 41-year-old man living in a trailer at Lake Shore Trailer Village when he failed to turn up for work. Boulder Beach rangers discovered that he had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. This was the park's thirteenth fatality this year. [Sarah Alonso, Dispatch, LAME, 8/22]
Further updates have been received on the status of NPS areas and/or staff responses to Tuesday's terrorist attacks: o Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Hoover Dam is open to passenger cars only and closed to trucks and motor homes. Other closures and operations are essentially as noted yesterday. [Russ Wilson, GATE/SHU, 9/12; Clayton Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN, 9/13; Karl Merchant, Plans, Type 2 IMT, NERO, 9/13]
[Pat Buccello, CISM Team, STLI, 9/19; Dennis McGinnis, Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/19; Sue Masica, Administration, WASO, 9/19; SHEN EICC, 9/18] The following changes in the status of National Park Service areas and offices were reported yesterday: o Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Launch ramps below Hoover Dam and the lake immediately above the dam are closed. The dam itself is open to passenger cars, but closed to trucks and recreational vehicles. Davis Dam is closed.
The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country, including the brokering of numerous requests for operational support. Incident management in Washington has transitioned from Skip Brooks' Type 1 team to Eddie Lopez's Type 1 team. A regional Type 2 team from Southeast Region (Bob Panko, IC) continues to oversee the NPS expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. Members of the team in Washington are in the processing of making individual calls to every park in the nation to establish a comprehensive list of resources that can be utilized in emergencies if needed. About 230 calls have been made so far; more will follow this week. Callers are focusing on resources similar to those needed in past incidents, such as the floods in Yosemite and Hurricane Andrew. A report is due to Director Mainella by Friday. The following is a quick run down of continuing closures: o Hoover Dam at Lake Mead NRA is closed to truck traffic. The visitor center and boat ramps above and below the dam are closed. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/25; Kris Fister, NPS Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/26]
A.I., 38, of Las Vegas was swimming in an area adjacent to Las Vegas Wash with two of his sons late on the afternoon of September 24th when he disappeared (the exact circumstances are unknown). The sons were rescued by visitors in the area. Divers are attempting to find and recover the body. [Cate Clary, Dispatch, LAME, 9/25]
The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country, including the brokering of numerous requests for operational support. The Service's Type 1 IMT (Eddie Lopez, IC) continues its operations from the South Interior Building; the Type 2 East Team (Bob Panko, IC) is overseeing the NPS expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. Here's a current report on the status of parks affected by this incident: o Lake Mead - The dam access road is open to cars, vehicles towing small boats and personal watercraft, pickup trucks with bed-mounted campers, and some local businesses with permits, but is closed to other vehicles. The Bureau of Reclamation VC is closed, but the park visitor center is open. Tours of the dam have been suspended. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/27; Kris Fister, NPS Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/28; Pat Buccello, CISM Team, 9/28; Billy Garrett, Superintendent, Jamaica Bay Unit, GATE, 9/27]
On the evening of September 9th, dispatch received a 911 phone call reporting that a hiker was missing and overdue from a hike in Gold Strike Canyon. Ranger Jeff Goad obtained sufficient information from the reporting party to develop an operational plan. An incident command post was established at the trailhead and search teams - comprised of personnel from other park districts and divisions and from other agencies - began searching for him. At 3:30 a.m., a search team from the park's fire management office found the man on a steep talus slope in the second highest probability area. Seven firefighters and rangers, including park medic Beth Meyers, treated the man, who was severely dehydrated and unable to walk. He was transported back to the trailhead at 8 a.m. Temperatures within Gold Strike Canyon routinely exceed 100 degrees. The high temperatures and the presence of numerous electrical towers made it impossible to use helicopters and infrared search devices. [B. Shott, IC, LAME, 9/24]
Boulder District rangers were involved in a high-speed pursuit at 11 p.m. on September 13th that ended up in a single-car collision. The pursuit began after a call was received that a black BMW had been rammed by a white Ford sedan near the park's visitor center. The two vehicles then traveled south on Highway 95, speeding past a manned checkpoint that had recently been established to provide increased security for Hoover Dam. The pursuit continued until the Ford hit a rock wall near the dam. Rangers provided medical assistance, including extrication from the heavily damaged vehicle. Since an ambulance was not immediately available, the driver was transported in the back of a patrol SUV to a helicopter LZ six miles away. The two car chase began in Las Vegas, where the operator of the Ford was involved in a burglary. [B. Shott, SPR, Boulder District, LAME, 9/24]
The W. family was unloading items from its vehicle in the parking lot of the Callville Bay marina just before 11 p.m. on November 10th when a member of their group, six-year-old A.L., walked off. Family members and local security guards looked for her for 15 minutes, then called dispatch and reported her missing. Rangers were notified and an extensive search ensued. She was found in the water a half hour after midnight. CPR was begun and she was taken to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas via Mercy Air Medivac. Doctors there pronounced her dead. An investigation is underway. [Cate Clary, Dispatch, LAME, 11/11]
G.G., 54, was heading down Lakeshore Road near 33 Hole around 10:30 p.m. on November 12th when his car went off the road and rolled over. Gannon was thrown from the vehicle and killed. The cause of the accident is under investigation. [Cate Clary, Dispatch, LAME, 11/13]
An Arizona state police officer came upon a single vehicle rollover accident on the Temple Bar access road at 6:30 a.m. on January 9th. Park rangers responded and investigated. J.F., 51, and R.M.T.-R., 39, were both killed in the accident, which evidently occurred just after midnight. Alcohol may have been a contributing factor. [Jodi Wilson, Dispatch, LAME, 1/9]
The concessioner at the Willow Beach store received a handwritten note on April 8th, stating that a bomb would be placed in the store and everyone would be killed. Rangers Chris Largent and Chuck Hahn investigated. They found that the note had been sent from Newark, New Jersey, and that the envelope had a Miami, Florida, return address. It was signed with the name of a South American actress. Since these two cities had been linked to bio-terrorism incidents, the rangers closed and locked the store. It remained closed until investigator Paul Crawford arrived and determined that it was safe to reopen the building. The investigation continues. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 4/8]
F.C., 54, was thrown from a boat in Calville Bay after it hit another vessel's wake on the afternoon of Saturday, April 13th, and subsequently slipped beneath the lake's surface. A search was begun, but his body has not yet been found. [Tony DeVito, Dispatch, LAME, 4/14]
On April 15th, the entire Lake Mead and Las Vegas area experienced extremely high southerly winds. Blowing dust and sand reduced visibility throughout the area. McCarran International Airport was closed for a period of time, and a local major highway was closed due to zero visibility and a multi-car accident. Sustained winds were in excess of 35 mph; the National Weather Service in Las Vegas recorded gusts to 69 mph, and an unofficial recording in the Las Vegas valley showed a gust that reached 91mph. The water temperature in Lake Mead was approximately 58 degrees. Just before 11 a.m., park dispatch received a distress call on marine band radio from a vessel sinking in the Virgin Basin of Lake Mead. The dispatcher advised all parties to don life jackets. Radio contact with the vessel was subsequently lost. Rangers out of the Boulder Basin and Echo Bay responded by boat, encountering waves up to eight feet in height. The park airplane was grounded due to the wind conditions, and local helicopters were also unavailable. One patrol vessel was disabled during the search due to the conditions. At noon, about an hour after the distress call was received, rangers aboard a vessel in the Virgin Basin saw the bow of a sunken houseboat as it crested on the waves and soon came upon and rescued three people in the water. The rangers then learned that four other people were unaccounted for. Two of them were found in the water and rescued. All five were suffering from varying degrees of hypothermia. The remaining two missing people were located on a nearby shore, but rangers were unable to approach due to rough water and waves near shore. Rangers and a Nevada Division of Wildlife warden on land attempted to reach the two survivors on shore, but were hampered by the rugged and remote nature of the area. The 66th Air Rescue Squadron out of Nellis AFB dispatched a helicopter and retrieved the pair. Two of the seven victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment of hypothermia and near-drowning. [Kevin Hendricks, ACR, LAME, 4/18]
A structural fire was reported in the Cottonwood Cove trailer village around 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 12th. The one ranger located at Cottonwood Cove responded and found that a single-wide trailer was on fire and in "backdraft" condition. No information was available on whether or not the trailer was occupied. Local concession employees and Clark County FD volunteers from Searchlight, Nevada, assisted in attempting to suppress the fire. The fire vented itself and was beginning to involve a large part of the trailer when additional park staff arrived from as far away as 45 miles and began an aggressive attack. There was extensive damage to the interior of the trailer, but surrounding structures were successfully protected. It turned out that the trailer was unoccupied. Preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction. [Kevin Hendricks, ACR, LAME, 4/18]
The windstorm that struck the park and surrounding area on April 15th continued for two more days, with winds of 30 to 35 mph pushing up four-foot waves on the lake. On the morning of April 17th, rangers responded to a report of two overturned Hobie Cats near Sentinel Island in Boulder Basin. The person making the report, who had barely made it to shore, told rangers that he and two friends were racing when they saw their friends' vessel flip. Rangers and aides-to-navigation personnel responded in two boats, the "Major Powell," a 31-foot Bertram, and the "Lieutenant Ives," a 47-foot retired Coast Guard buoy tender. One person was found in open water near Black Island and taken to shore; the second person was found near the Hobie Cat, which had notable damage to its mast. Both were wearing wet suits and life jackets. [Billy Shott, LAME, 4/22]
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 13th, F.C. became the first drowning victim and the fourth fatality of the year at Lake Mead when he was ejected from his 27-foot vessel after hitting a wake while traveling at a high rate of speed. Witnesses estimated F.C.'s speed at 50 to 60 mph. F.C. was last seen cartwheeling out of his boat within Calville Bay. Both the National Park Service and Nevada Division of Wildlife began an immediate search of the area. F.C.'s boat was recovered and was found to have notable damage on the driver's side. There was no sign of F.C. Search efforts are underway and will include shoreline, surface, and underwater side scan sonar searches. [Billy Shott, LAME, 4/22]
On Friday, April 26th, the park's special operations response team, comprised of SET team members and rangers trained in special operations, was dispatched to the 20th annual "River Run," a biker gathering held in Laughlin, Nevada, and Bullhead City, Arizona - both near the park. Over 75,000 motorcycle riders participated, many of them from outlaw gangs with wars in progress between them. The park aircraft was utilized for observation purposes, as was a Bureau of Reclamation helicopter. Among the gangs involved were the Hells Angels, Mongols and Vagos. The Lake Mead team, comprised of ten rangers, was augmented by five more uniformed rangers and rangers from Katherine. They staged out of Katherine's Landing, where the Hells Angels had rented several houseboats. The team's mission was to assist other agencies as needed. The park's fire engine crews were also stationed at Katherine to provide assistance. During the early morning hours of April 27th, a large number of Hells Angels went to the Harrah's casino in Laughlin and confronted the Mongols. The confrontation turned into a brawl with shootings and stabbings. All SWAT teams, local officers, firefighters and EMS personnel responded; the park's team was asked to go to Bullhead Hospital, where they provided protection for staff who were treating injured and dying bikers. Word was out that many of the bikers would continue to the hospital to finish-up what they'd started at the casino. Three bikers died during the night, and another 14 were injured. Rangers held their position at the hospital from 3 a.m. until relieved in mid-morning. The casino was locked down and arrests were made, partly through pictures taken from video cameras. Later that day, rangers and firefighters were used to maintain a road closure on Davis Dam at the request of the sheriffs of both of the involved counties. They also maintained a closure down to Katherine's Landing. Later in the day, the Hells Angels and Mongols were asked to leave the area, and most complied by 10 p.m. Laughlin was quiet and back to normal by 1 a.m. The success of the operation was attributed in large part to the specialized training that rangers had received. The ranger team came with a tactical command post, an armored vehicle, and all the requisite training and equipment. Chief ranger Dale Antonich had this to say: "I am very proud to have such professional firefighters, investigators and rangers at Lake Mead. It took true teamwork to pull this all off, and everyone on the staff performed as a team. The situation was greatly hampered by the fact that many rangers are detailed to the Hoover Dam operation or other operations, causing a severe impact on staffing over this busy weekend." [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, 5/1]
The body of 60-year-old G.R. was found in Meat Hole Cove just after noon on May 2nd. The death has been classified as a murder. Las Vegas Metro PD's homicide unit is investigating. No further information is currently available. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/4]
The body of a 27-year-old man was found in Crawdad Cove in the Calville Bay area on the afternoon of May 3rd. Death was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No further information is available. [Dispatch, LAME, 5/4]
The remains of drowning victim F.C. were recovered from Callville Bay on the morning of May 14th. His body, which was found on the 13th with a side scan sonar unit on contract to the NPS, was recovered from a depth of 141 feet by contract and NPS divers. The autopsy report indicates that he died from accidental drowning. F.C. had been missing and presumed drowned since April 13th when witnesses saw him thrown from his boat when he hit a wake at high speed. [Billy Shott, LAME, 5/15]
On the afternoon of Monday, May 27th, eight-year-old B.J. was knocked off a boat she was on when it was struck by another vessel, then was hit by the boat's propeller when it backed up. Her parents pulled her out of the water immediately. An NPS boating volunteer was on the scene within moments and reported a possible fatality to dispatch. Ranger and state wardens responded and confirmed that the girl had died. An investigation is underway. Alcohol may have been a factor. This was the eighth fatality to occur in the park so far this year. [Tammy Morris, LAME, 5/28]
The body of an unidentified man was found at the lake's edge in the Boulder Beach area on May 21st. The cause of death is not yet known. An investigation by park special agents and Las Vegas PD detectives is underway. [Scott Hinson, LAME, 5/21]
On the morning of Saturday, May 25th, rangers received a call from an individual who reported that he'd been assaulted the previous night and that his assailant was still in the area. Rangers responded and met with the victim, who had a black eye, a swollen cheek and a missing tooth. He said that he and his 17-year-old son met the suspect while camping at Boxcar Cove. The two men drank heavily before retiring; shortly thereafter, he was attacked through the window of his vehicle while he was in the midst of a fight with his son. The victim's son showed no signs of trauma, but said that he and his father had raised their voices and "smacked" each other prior to his father being attacked. The suspect was contacted and identified. He said that he'd attacked the victim after watching him beating his son. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. [Scott Hinson, SA, LAMR, 6/3]
On the evening on Saturday, May 25th, rangers responded to a report of sexual assault at Boxcar Cove. The rangers identified a 15-year-old victim and 48-year-old suspect. Initial investigation revealed that the man supplied alcohol to the girl throughout the day. Later in the evening, he was found lying on top of the passed-out victim, attempting to sexually abuse her. A friend of the girl's pulled him off. He was taken into custody and charged with attempted sexual abuse of a minor. [Scott Hinson, SA, LAMR, 6/3]
On the morning of Monday, May 27th, rangers received a report of a suspicious truck parked at Long View overlook. Responding rangers recognized the truck from prior contacts. The truck was left open with the keys in the ignition; paraphernalia associated with narcotic use was found in the bed of the truck. A search for the operator was begun. Additional resources were called in, including air, ground and water support. The truck's owner was found about an hour later near shore with his dog. He had removed his shoes and was hiking along a steep cliff band. He was transported by vessel to waiting rangers. During the trip, he became very agitated and showed signs of mental problems. He was taken back to his vehicle, where he was evaluated, then transported by medical personnel to Saint Rose Hospital, where he was treated for severe dehydration and mental problems. [Scott Hinson, SA, LAMR, 6/3]
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 28th, rangers received a report of two overdue hikers and learned that several hikers had been missing for over four hours. They were last seen hiking up from the hot springs located in Goldstrike Canyon. The reporting party had already checked the canyon, but found no sign of the missing hikers. Additional support was brought in, including maintenance and fire personnel. After several hours of searching, the couple was located near the top of the canyon wall. Both were uninjured, needing only assistance getting down. Searchers reached them via a trail and walked them out. [Scott Hinson, SA, LAMR, 6/3]
On the afternoon of May 29th, rangers at Katherine Landing reported a large smoke column issuing from Katherine Mine Homesites, a parcel of county land within the park. The first ranger to arrive reported that two structures were fully engulfed in flames and that a third had caught fire. The ranger had to enter the latter to coerce the owner to abandon his efforts to fight the fire with a garden hose. The man refused to leave, so the ranger attempted to forcibly extract him. When that failed, he latched onto the garden hose and yanked it, causing the owner to be pulled from the building. The area is served by only one water main, which is supplied by a well in the old Katherine Mine. The park's engine assisted the local fire department engines with a water shuttle until two water tenders could arrive from departments that were 25 miles away. At one point during this operation, the main water supply line ruptured, necessitating a continuous water shuttle from the lake two-and-a-half miles away for the remainder of the fire. Eight park staff were involved in attack operations, exposure protection, water supply and overhead positions. A Bullhead City FD battalion chief was IC for the four fire agencies that responded. The fire may have been started by two unlicensed painting contractors doing work on one of the homes. Bullhead City FD is investigating. Park staff received compliments for participation in the operation. The air temperature during the fire was 100, with a breezy southwest wind which helped fan the flames. [John Tesar, SPR, LAME, 6/11]
The body of A.C., 27, was found in Government Wash on the morning of June 19th. Indications are that he was the victim of a homicide. Las Vegas Metro homicide detectives are investigating. [Anthony Devito, Dispatch, LAME, 6/19]
On the morning of July 23rd, rangers and special agents responded to a report of a man under water for fifteen minutes near the Las Vegas Bay Marina. On-scene rangers met with the reporting party, who told them that he and his friends had left the marina and were heading toward Sandy Cove when the victim asked to stop the vessel so that he could swim. Shortly after going into the water, he appeared to be having problems. A second swimmer entered the water to help; a struggle ensued and the victim went under. The second swimmer was pulled back onto the vessel. Neither the victim nor the rescuer had life jackets on. This is the 13th fatality for the park this year and the third drowning within the week. Recovery efforts, including a search with contract side scan sonar, are underway for all three victims. [Mary Hinson, Boulder Basin DR, LAME, 7/23]
A family of five rented a patio boat from the Las Vegas Bay Marina on July 21st and traveled to a location south of Las Vegas Bay. The father, 48, attempted to teach his son, 18, how to swim. At some point, the son disappeared under the surface, and the father dove down after him. The water depth at that point is in excess of 150 feet. Neither resurfaced. Rangers responded, with the first unit arriving within 15 minutes of the initial call. Dive operations were conducted but were unsuccessful because of the depth of the water. The surviving members of the family - the mother and two daughters - were put in contact with a trauma intervention team. The search continues. [Kevin Hendricks, ACR, LAME]
During a two-week period between late July and early August, there were six drownings in the park. Four of the bodies were not immediately recovered. On August 13th and 14th, the park employed an independent contractor, the Bureau of Reclamation's ROV (remote operating vessel) and deep water divers to recover two of the victims - a father and son - in 175 feet of water (incident 02-337). On August 25th, two fishermen found a body floating in Boulder Basin, tentatively identified as one of the two bodies still missing. The coroner's office is currently identifying the victim. [Scott Hinson, SSA, LAME]
On September 1st, T.D., 21, of El Mirage, Arizona, was swimming in the lake with a friend while holding onto a life jacket. T.D. took in a breath, released the life jacket, and submerged. When he failed to resurface, his friend called for help. A ranger/diver located Dinsesen in 40 feet of water within a minute of entering the lake. He was brought to the surface and advanced life support was begun. T.D. was then transferred by boat to a waiting Mercy Airlife helicopter at the Calville Bay Marina. Following consultation with physicians, T.D. was pronounced dead at the marina. The coroner has ruled the death to have been an accidental drowning. This is the seventh drowning in the park within the past five weeks and the seventeenth fatality at Lake Mead this year. [Submitted by Paul Crawford, Special Agent, Lake Mead NRA]
On the afternoon of October 18, Lake Mead dispatch received a report that a man had sustained injuries in a fall of approximately 30 feet. The injured party was located a half mile up Boy Scout Canyon, a side canyon off the Colorado River. All rescue personnel had to be ferried to the location by boat, as the accident site could only be reached from the river. The 72-year-old Polish national had a broken ankle and possible back injuries, which he sustained when he slipped on wet rocks and fell over a 30 foot cliff. Reaching and moving the victim required technical rescue procedures. Multiple belayed lowering stations and highline techniques were used to negotiate the litter through steep and narrow sections of the canyon. The operation extended into the night, with the last lowering operation being carried out in total darkness. Rangers transported rescuers to and from the incident location during extreme hazard conditions due to low water, multiple reefs and strong, fast currents. [Submitted by Jim Barnes, Park Ranger]
While manning a safety line perimeter at the national water ski races
on October 14, race volunteer M.S. got into an argument with
some spectators. M.S. drew out a 9mm Glock and fired five rounds at a
boat containing three people. Two rounds hit the bow of the boat and its
bimini strip, the other three missed both boat and occupants due to wave
action. M.S. was arrested and pled guilty to discharging a weapon
where a person may be endangered, a gross misdemeanor. On November 6, he
was sentenced to three years probation, three months of electronic
monitoring, mental health treatment, restitution to the victims, and a
$1,000 fine.
The body of a 68-year-old Colorado man was found in the park on
February 18. The man's vehicle had been found a day earlier; it
contained a note saying that he was suicidal. Rangers and Las Vegas
Metro PD officers participated in the search for the victim and the
subsequent investigation.
On March 5th, park firefighters responded to a report of boats on
fire at the Lake Mead Marina. They found four boats fully involved in
their slips at a marina dock. Additional resources were ordered and
boats were removed from the dock to slow down the fire's spread. The
marina staff assisted by cutting boats loose and providing fire boats
from Lake Mead Marina and Las Vegas Bay Marina. Park fire chief Bob
Trodahl took command when he arrived on scene and asked for further
assistance from Boulder City FD. Six boats were destroyed by the fire
and a house boat and large power boat were damaged, as was the dock. The
park's dive team was to dive on the six boats yesterday to further
investigate what happened. The park committed two engines and one
rescue, two LE and one VIP boats to the incident. During the park's last
structural fire training session, they used this type of fire as a
scenario. The crew of the first engine on scene did their job by
stopping the fire's spread by moving boats, then cutting the burning
boats loose and moving them away from the dock.
A driver ran through a security checkpoint on the Nevada side of
Hoover Dam at a high rate of speed around 1 p.m. on May 1st. This
checkpoint is manned by a security firm that has contracted with the
Bureau of Reclamation. Hoover Dam police attempted to stop it before, on
and just off the dam, but had no luck. Calls went out via an interagency
dispatch center for Arizona DPS officers to help stop the vehicle, for
Las Vegas Metro PD officers to check the home of the vehicle's
registered owner, and for the park's law enforcement specialist to
assist with the eventual prosecution of the case. The chase continued
past the Arizona checkpoint (manned by a Hoover Dam contractor) and
finally concluded on Highway 93 when an Arizona DPS officer stopped the
vehicle with spike strips. The driver refused to get out, so DPS
officers broke a window and used pepper spray on him. This helped induce
him to exit the vehicle and he was arrested after a struggle. Charges
are pending. The park will help Hoover Dam Police with the overall
prosecution and will assist the U.S. Attorney's Office with the case.
Rangers responded by boat to a report of three unconscious people
with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Rufus Cove on May 31st. They
found the three members of a family - an adult male and female and
a seven-year-old boy - all unconscious. They had been sleeping in
their cabin cruiser overnight. Resuscitation efforts were begun. The
adults were intubated, and all three were flown to UMC hospital, where
they were immediately admitted to the hyperbaric chamber. All three
remain in serious condition. Monoxide levels in the man were 21% at the
hospital, after resuscitation.
On June 1st, J.C., five, wandered away from his family at
the Cottonwood Cove swimming area. He'd been told not to go into the
water. While his family looked for him for about 15 to 20 minutes, a
swimmer stepped on his submerged body and pulled J.C. out of the
water. Rangers were on scene within two minutes and began CPR. A
pediatric ER doctor was on scene and assisted with the resuscitation
efforts. The boy was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Las Vegas,
where he was pronounced dead.
Park fee collectors informed rangers that a vehicle had come through
the Lake Mead Drive that was being driven erratically and whose driver
might be drunk. While attempting to find the vehicle, a ranger came upon
evidence of a recent accident on Lakeshore Drive and found a vehicle
matching the description of the one he was seeking about 50 feet down an
embankment. The vehicle had incurred major damage; the driver and sole
occupant was deceased. Alcohol is suspected to have been a contributing
factor.
Further details have been received regarding the monoxide poisoning
of a family of three on their boat in Rufus Cove last Saturday. The
mother and father had slept in the vessel's cabin with the generator
running and the air conditioning on. Their seven-year-old son slept on
the beach, but entered the cabin sometime around dawn. All three were
found in mid-morning. When admitted to the hospital, the adults had
carboxyhemglobin levels of 24% and 20%; the boy had a level of 7%. The
boy and one of his parents have recovered and are now okay; the other is
still unconscious and in critical condition. When investigated in detail
by Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) wardens well after the cabin door
was opened and the victims rescued, the carbon monoxide levels were at
80.8 parts per million (ppm), with a peak reading of 250 ppm in one area
of the cabin (the allowable maximum exposure level as determined by both
OSHA and EPA is 35 ppm). The lowest levels were found near the floor,
where the boy was located. The generator had been installed by the
manufacturer and the vessel had reportedly been serviced recently. The
incident is under investigation by NDOW and the Coast Guard. The vessel
manufacturer has also dispatched a four-person team to
investigate.
Park firefighters responded to an active fire in a dormitory unit at
the Callville Bay concession housing area at 5:45 p.m. on June 9th. The
dorm has 18 individual rooms, and at least 15 people were in the
building when the fire started. Engine 5 from Calville was first on
scene. Firefighters found that one dorm room was fully engulfed in
flame, so requested additional support. Engine 4 from Boulder Beach
responded, and Henderson FD provided additional assistance. Rangers
learned that one 15-year-old boy was unaccounted for, so began a search
of the dormitory. He was subsequently found outside the building. The
fire eventually burned into the attic and wasn't extinguished until 8
p.m. One third of the structure was lost, and all occupants were
displaced. The concessioner has made arrangements for temporary housing
for them. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is still under
investigation.
D.H., 38, of Cucamonga, California, was riding his PWC in the
Las Vegas Bay arm of Lake Mead with his eight-year-old son on the
afternoon of June 15th when he hit a wave and fell off the PWC. His son
was unsuccessful in efforts to help his father, so drove the PWC to the
beach camp where they'd launched it. Family members called the park. As
rangers, game wardens and medics were responding, D.H.'s body was found
by fisherman. He was floating face down in the water with a lifejacket
on. D.H. had a history of seizures, and it appears that he had one
after falling into the lake and became unresponsive. He was wearing a
Type 3 life jacket, commonly referred to as a ski vest. Type 3
lifejackets will not keep an unconscious person's face out of the water.
On the afternoon of June 18th, hikers in Gold Strike Canyon came upon
a naked, hysterical, incoherent man swinging on a tree and noted that
his clothing and shoes were lying just below him on the trail. They
continued down the trail, where they came across a second unresponsive
naked man lying face down on the ground. The hikers turned around and
attempted to make contact with the first man, but he would not respond
to them. They left him a bottle of water and started to hike out to get
help. They came across two hikers and asked them to go get help so that
they could return to assist the man who was still alive. When they
returned in about 30 to 45 minutes, the man had passed away. The park
received a call for help at 3 p.m. Rescuers arrived on scene 45 minutes
later. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene, with each displaying
obvious signs of heat exposure. Initial investigation revealed that they
were not prepared for the desert conditions. Gold Strike Canyon is a
steep, rugged desert canyon with temperatures in excess of 110 degrees.
Metro Search and Rescue and the Hoover Dam Police assisted the NPS with
this incident. Their deaths are the 17th and 18th fatalities to occur in
the park of the year.
A 57-year-old park visitor lost consciousness due to significant exposure to carbon monoxide on the morning of June 18th. He was making a second attempt to remove an entangled rope from the prop of his beached vessel when he was overcome. On the previous evening, he'd spent two hours under the swim platform attempting to remove the rope, but had to discontinue his efforts when he became weak and nauseous. The next morning, he put on a life jacket, entered the water, and resumed his efforts. Thirty minutes later a friend same him float from underneath the swim platform. He was conscious and alert, but slow to answer some questoins. He was taken by vessel to Callville Bay marina, then transported to a medical facility. Doctors there determine that he had nearly 20 times the maximum permissible amount of carbon monoxide in his blood. He was admitted to the hospital in serious but stable condition. Further investigation revealed that the 22-horsepower generator on the boat had been running the entire time. This is the second serious carbon monoxide exposure requiring hospitalization this year.
On June 14th, a 25-year-old man jumped from the top of Cat Eye Cliff
on Lake Mohave, which is about 50 feet above the lake. Witnesses said
that he was leaning slightly forward when he hit the water and that he
never surfaced. Family members and bystanders tried to find him before
calling for help via marine band radio. Divers found his body on the
lake bottom at a depth of 49 feet. The victim was an Eagle Scout who was
working full-time as a CPA and had just finished his masters degree.
This was the family's eighteenth consecutive Fathers Day outing on Lake
Mohave. All the members of his family witnessed the incident. Alcohol
may have been a contributing factor. Rangers regularly advise visitors
that jumping from cliffs is hazardous. Mathematical calculations show
that anyone jumping from this height hits the water at over 35 mph.
On June 23rd, Boulder City PD asked the park's dive team for
assistance in a murder investigation. Police had found a woman's body
floating in a small, man-made fishing lake in one of the city's parks.
Divers helped recover the remains and searched the entire pond. The
crime scene was identified as a hotel room at the Hacienda Hotel and
Casino, a private inholding within the park. A suspect was identified
and arrested in California. The victim is thought to have been a porter
at the hotel who disappeared during her shift.
Ranger Ryan Regnell was on boat patrol in the Boulder Basin of Lake
Mead on July 25th when a severe thunderstorm with 50 mph winds and four-
to six-foot waves struck the area, catching many boaters by surprise.
Regnell saw a boat in mid-basin that appeared to be in trouble. Upon
arrival, he found eight people - five adults, a small child and two
infants - onboard a low profile Mastercraft "Wakeboarder" with
little freeboard. It was under power, but taking on water. The operator
was trying to make it to Lake Mead Marina, but was still three to four
miles out. Shortly after Regnell's arrival, the boat lost power and
started taking waves. Two waves almost filled the boat, so Regnell
quickly attached a tow line and got the vessel's bow back into the wind
and moving toward the marina. The forward motion helped bail the water,
keeping the boat afloat. Regnell called for Nevada Division of Wildlife
game wardens Karen Welden and Fred Esparza and asked them to respond and
help offload the passengers. Regnell's tow line snapped just as the NDOW
wardens arrived, and the vessel began to sink once more. Regnell managed
to tie the line to the boat and get it headed into the wind again. They
then got the women and children transferred to the NDOW boat. With the
Mastercraft lightened, Regnell could make headway toward Lake Mead
Marina. About a quarter mile out of the harbor, the tow line snapped
again and the vessel again began to sink. The ranger and wardens were
able to attach a tow line from the NDOW boat to the sinking vessel, and
the boat was towed the remaining quarter mile to the harbor launch ramp.
The visitors, who were from Illinois, said that they knew the storm was
coming and that high winds had been predicted, but decided they could
make the harbor before the storm hit.
On May 26, 2002, P.I. was arrested for an attempted sexual
assault on a 15-year-old girl. A visitor witnessed the attempt and
pulled him off her. P.I., who was 46 at the time of his arrest, spent
about a year in psychiatric evaluation due to his illiteracy and alcohol
problems. P.I. had been arrested in San Bernardino for a similar
offense with a nine-year-old girl in 2000. On September 19th, P.I. was
sentenced in federal district court to 21 months in jail and a year's
probation, with the requirement that he register as a sex offender.
Just before midnight on Sunday, September 28th, a boat with four
people on board ran aground on Cottonwood Island on Lake Mojave.
E.H., 38, was killed, and her three passengers were injured. All three
were taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas. The cause of the
accident is still under investigation. While awaiting the arrival of the
hearse to pick up the victim the next morning, rangers were contacted by
visitors and told about a body floating on the water near the middle of
Lake Mohave. Rangers, agents and staff from the coroner's office
responded and recovered the body of N.R., 22. On September
20th, N.R. had jumped into the lake from the top of a houseboat and
failed to resurface. Divers had made several unsuccessful efforts to
find his body at that time.
Just after noon on November 30th, two recreational SCUBA divers reported finding what appeared to be human remains in 66 feet of water near Hemenway Point in Lake Mead. The two divers, who were training for a deep water certificate, reported passing over what first appeared to them as trash on their way to deeper water. Two park divers were immediately dispatched but were unable to locate the remains. A comprehensive search operation began the next morning with a total of seven divers. Within a few hours, the divers found the site, confirmed that they were human remains, and recovered them after the underwater site was surveyed and documented. Rangers, special agents, and the county coroner's office continue to investigate. The discovery has resulted in significant media coverage, and the park has received several phone calls from people who claim that they have family members who have yet to be found or recovered from the lake. [Billy Shott, Supervisory Ranger]
Following a high-speed pursuit that took place on December 18th,
convicted felon A.G. was arrested and charged with assault on a
federal officer, evading, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession
of drugs. On that date, rangers learned that A.G. had attempted to sell
drugs to a concession maintenance employee at Echo Bay. A ranger who was
responding to the call located A.G. on Northshore Drive. When backup
arrived, rangers attempted to stop A.G., but he continued to flee. At
one point, he turned his vehicle around and sped past one of the
rangers. A second ranger attempted to block the road, but A.G. hit his
car and continued to flee. A third ranger was able to deploy spike
strips on the road, which deflated one of the tires on A.G.'s vehicle.
He abandoned it and continued on foot into nearby Gypsum Wash. Rangers
continued to pursue A.G. and forced him into hiding. Additional
rangers, special agents and local law enforcement officers arrived on
scene. The park airplane, a Las Vegas Metro helicopter, and canine units
from Boulder City and Henderson Police Departments arrived and searched
the area. A canine, appropriately named "Ranger," alerted on A.G.
approximately one mile down the wash. A.G. had secreted himself in a
narrow shelf covered by bushes. When "Ranger" approached, A.G. kicked
him in the head. "Ranger" responded by latching onto A.G. and pulled
him from the shelf. He was then arrested. The investigation continues;
additional charges are pending.
On May 7, 2003, a volunteer maintenance employee told special agents
that she'd seen marijuana growing in a government building housing
Student Conservation Association workers. They obtained consent from SCA
J.F. to check the premises and found a greenhouse in his
closet with grow lights, foil light reflectors and five marijuana
plants. J.F. admitted that they were his and was subsequently
fired. In December of 2003, J.F. pled guilty to two counts, one of
cultivating marijuana and one of possession of paraphernalia. He was
sentenced to a year's probation and a $500 fine.
Last August 9th, rangers received a report of a sexual assault that
had occurred at Sandy Cove, an area accessible only by water. A
26-year-old woman awoke to find a man in her boat cabin, lying on top of
her. She screamed and scared him away. Rangers immediately placed a
lookout on all the park's launch ramps and soon contacted a suspect,
O.S., who th woman was able to positively identify in a show-up.
In January, O.S. pled guilty to abusive sexual contact (18 USC
2244(b)) and was sentenced to a year's probation and 300 hours of
community service, charged a $5,000 fee, and ordered to pay the woman's
ambulance fee.
Last December 18th, rangers and special agents, assisted by Las Vegas
Metro, Henderson PD, and Boulder City PD officers, were involved in a
pursuit and apprehension of A.G. A.G. was driving a stolen
vehicle and had attempted to sell marijuana to a concession employee. He
pled guilty to possession of controlled substance and reckless driving
and was sentenced to six months in jail. The theft/possession of stolen
vehicle charge is pending in state court.
A Bullhead City woman called the park on the evening of January 30th
and reported that her husband, G.H., 73, had not yet arrived
home, that he was two hours past due, and that he'd gone boating with
his dog on Lake Mohave in his 17-foot Sea-Doo. Rangers Dan Fangen-Gritis
and Wes Houk immediately began searching for him and asked for
assistance from the Las Vegas Metro PD SAR helicopter. An observer in
the helicopter spotted G.H. and his vessel about 50 feet from the
water on the shore near Nine Mile Light around 1 a.m. Fangen-Gritis and
Houk reached him about an hour later, removed him from his vessel, and
treated him. The rangers credit his dog for keeping him warm until help
arrived. G.H. was taken by boat to Princess Cove, then airlifted to
the UMC Trauma Center in Las Vegas.
Dispatch received a report of a body in the lake in Boxcar Cove on
the afternoon of March 25th. Rangers recovered the victim's body and
transported it to the Clark County coroner's office. The victim was
subsequently identified as J.S., 43, from California. He had
been reported missing five days previously.
On March 30th, a 14-year-old girl called park dispatch from an
emergency call box at Government Wash and reported that she'd been
abducted and pushed into a waiting motor vehicle outside a theater in
Las Vegas, then driven out to Lake Mead. She was then forced to drink a
liquid, possibly containing the drug Ecstacy, robbed of her purse, and
sexually assaulted. She escaped from the vehicle at Government Wash and
contacted a park volunteer there. The volunteer stayed with her until
rangers arrived. A search of the area proved fruitless. A joint
investigation with Las Vegas Metro PD is underway.
On the afternoon of April 21st, rangers received a marine band radio
report that a boater was being fired upon by a camper along the
shoreline in 8.0 Cove. The shooter was reported to be sitting inside of
the camper shell on his truck, using it as a shooting platform. Rangers
arrested L.G.W., 49. Investigation revealed that L.G.W. had
fired several shots from a BB rifle at close range, striking the boater
in the back and causing minor injury. The attack was without cause or
provocation. The rifle was recovered. The on-duty assistant U.S.
attorney approved the filing of a single count of assault with a
dangerous weapon. After case review, the United States Attorney's Office
decided to indict L.G.W. on one or more counts of assault with a dangerous
weapon.
On January 11th, a Lake Mead ranger saw a truck exiting a road that
accesses the park adjacent to the town of Overton with a bed full of cut
wood. The area had recently been the site of mesquite theft and is hit
annually. The operator of the truck, R.M., took rangers back to
the area where he'd harvested the mesquite, which was found to be within
the park. R.M. also admitted to cutting and removing a truck load of
mesquite from the same location several weeks previously. A resource
damage assessment was conducted by Lake Mead resources management
personnel with assistance from an independent arborist. They estimated
the live mesquite value at $12,000. R.M. recently pled guilty to
removing and possessing mesquite wood and was ordered to pay $5,000 in
restitution to the park.
Despite forecasts calling for high winds, D.D. and W.P.F. headed out
from Echo Bay Marina in a 20-foot ski boat on Monday, May 10th, with
family and friends following in a rented houseboat. The group planned to
travel to Calville Bay Marina and rendezvous there with the rest of
their party. The predicted winds — 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to
45 mph — developed by mid-morning and caught the two vessels as
they headed south through Overton Arm. W.P.F. and D.D. were ahead of the
houseboat; they turned around when the lake became too rough and headed
north. Around 10 a.m., their boat swamped and rolled over far enough to
pitch them into the 71 degree water. They donned lifejackets and stayed
with the drifting vessel. As they drifted north, a houseboat heading
south passed them and D.D. decided to swim to it. W.P.F. lost sight of
D.D. and remained with the boat until it ran aground on Big Horn Island.
Just before 8 p.m., one of the members of the party waiting at Calville
Bay called park dispatch and reported both boats overdue. Since the
winds were forecast to continue until 9 p.m., plans were made to begin a
search at first light. Shortly after 7 a.m., rangers from Echo Bay found
the houseboat pushed sideways against the shore with all four occupants
(including D.D.'s parents) inside and okay. The search for the ski boat
continued when it was learned that the two boats had separated. A
fisherman found W.P.F. walking on the shoreline and took him to Echo
Bay, where he reported D.D. as missing. Using information provided by
W.P.F., rangers soon found their boat and were able to narrow the search
area. At 10:30 a.m., rangers found D.D.'s body washed ashore south of
Big horn Island at Kendal Cove. An autopsy will be conducted to
determine the exact cause of death.
Rangers dealt with two drownings in the park on the weekend before
last. The first was at 83 Dollar Cove on Saturday, May 22nd, and came in
as a report of a possible drowning with CPR in progress. A 22-year-old
man who'd been jet skiing all day had just come to shore. He removed his
life jacket and was last seen standing in six feet of water. After a
short time, witnesses reported that he was found floating face down in
the lake. He was immediately pulled from the water and rescue efforts
were begun. Rangers took him to Princess Cove by boat, where advanced
life measures were administered but proved fruitless. Then, on Sunday, a
report came in of a swimmer in need of assistance at Grebe Cove. Rangers
arriving at the scene learned that V.P., 46, had
disappeared after attempting to swim back to his houseboat. The
houseboat had been stopped so that V.P. could slide into the lake,
but had been moved by high winds. Although it was evident that V.P.
was having difficulty returning to the boat, efforts to reach him by
boat and provide him with a life jacket were unsuccessful. The water
depth at the point last seen is about 180 feet. Efforts are underway to
recover the body.
Late on the afternoon of June 9th, park dispatch received a report of
two females and a dog in need of help near Saddle Cove. Witnesses told
rangers that a mother, her daughter and their dog had entered the water
on an air mattress — the kind used for a bed — and were
floating near the cove. Before they entered the water, they were warned
of high and dangerous winds, but disregarded the warning. Neither the
mother nor her daughter was wearing a life jacket. When witnesses saw
the air mattress flip over in the wind, one of them called dispatch. A
search by air, water and foot (along the shoreline) was immediately
begun. Rangers found the dog in the water north of Saddle Island and
found the daughter on land in good condition shortly thereafter.
According to the girl, the wind blew the air mattress over and they were
all knocked off. The wind then continued to blow the air mattress
farther and farther away from them. It was later found on Black Island
approximately two miles northeast of Saddle Island. The search for the
mother continued, with the park dive team called in to assist with the
effort. The area the dive team searched is at least 110 feet deep. No
sign of the woman has yet been found. The park continues to urge all
visitors to wear their life jackets and exercise extreme caution when
recreating on the lake. This is the third drowning in the last month in
which the victim was not wearing a life jacket.
The park reports two drownings and a near-drowning over the past two weeks: June 11 — The body of T.S., 37, was recovered near Lake Mead Marina. Selden disappeared on June 9th and was believed to have drowned after she and her daughter were blown off their air mattress near Saddle Cove. Neither was wearing a lifejacket. The daughter was rescued. June 19 — Dispatch received a 911 call via Las Vegas Metro dispatch, reporting that a patio boat was adrift in Boulder Basin with people on board and in the water. An immediate water and air search was begun. When rangers arrived, they learned what had happened: A.F. had been washed overboard by a wave while riding on the bow of the boat. Her husband, Kenneth, who was operating the boat at the time, grabbed a lifejacket and jumped into the water. None of the remaining passengers could operate the vessel, nor were any familiar with the area. About 45 minutes elapsed before A.F. was spotted from the park plane and rescued by rangers. During that time, K.F., who was not wearing a lifejacket, disappeared below the surface. Winds were blowing at about 20 mph at the time, and the waves were running one to two feet. The search for A.F. was unsuccessful. The water at this point is about 300 feet deep. June 25 — Staff at Overton Beach Marina received a report of a
drowning at Ann Margaret Beach. A concession employee notified park
dispatch, then responded on jet ski. Rangers and rescue units were
dispatched. A 17-year-old Boy Scout who'd been playing in about eight
feet of water went under and did not resurface. Another Scout dove twice
and eventually found the boy face down on the bottom of the lake. He
pulled him to shore, and CPR was begun. He soon resumed breathing in
irregular and wheezing breaths and was taken to Overton Beach in a
visitor's boat. Rangers then transported him to an ambulance, where he
was intubated, then transferred to Mercy Air Helicopter. He was flown to
Sunrise Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition at the time
of the report. Witnesses said that he'd had a life jacket on earlier in
the day, but not at the time of the accident.
On June 13th, rangers on motorcycle patrol in the Gypsum Wash area
contacted visitors who were riding their ATV's off road. During the
contact, the visitors reported finding a body near the shore of the
lake. Law enforcement personnel responded and recovered the remains. The
area was searched by foot and aircraft, but no further evidence was
found. His identity could not immediately be established; the evidence
regarding cause of death was inconclusive. Investigators were finally
able to establish his identity by fingerprint comparison in early July
and found that he was K.D., 27, of Lincoln, Nebraska. K.D. had
been entered into NCIC as a missing person on May 20th. He was listed as
depressed and had made comments about committing suicide by alcohol
overdose. On May 16th, he had been arrested for his third DUI, posted
bail, took out $2,500 in cash, left his cell phone behind, and
disappeared. The only indicator of intent was discovered on June 27th.
On the back of a poster in his room was written "It's all for the best."
His vehicle was later found in Las Vegas. The investigation
continues.
On Wednesday, July 21st, NPS special agents arrested J.L., 42
in North Las Vegas, on an outstanding warrant charging him with one
count of felony sexual assault and three counts of gross misdemeanor
open or gross lewdness. The charges stemmed from an investigation
conducted by special agent Beth Shott. The arrest warrant was issued
after two girls under the age of 16 came forward and reported that they
had been sexually molested by J.L. at a beach camp on the lake's shore
about three years ago.
On July 13th, Seven Crowns Resort, which is located at Temple Bar in
Arizona, reported a burglary of the resort's administrative office and
concession safe. Cash and checks worth about $24,000 were reportedly
stolen. Investigating rangers and agents identified four concession
employees as suspects. A search warrant was executed on two of the
suspects' motor home in Temple Bar and cash believed to have been stolen
in the burglary was recovered. All four were indicted by a county grand
jury — three on charges of burglary, grand theft and possession of
stolen property, and the fourth on possession of stolen property. About
$8,0000 in cash believed stolen in the burglary has so far been
recovered.
Park dispatch received a cell phone call from an area known as Gasoline Alley in the Mohave District around 6:30 p.m. on September 4th. The caller reported that there'd been a cliff diving accident, possibly resulting in a drowning. Rangers and Arizona and Nevada state game officers responded. Onlookers told them that a 32-year-old man from Ontario, California, had jumped from a spot called the Cat Eye and had not resurfaced. The man had climbed part way up the cliff, then turned and started to descend. His friends encouraged him to keep going, though, so he reversed directions and climbed to the Cat Eye and jumped from there to the water 35 feet below. Bullhead City divers found his body in 41 feet of water at the base of the cliff.[Submitted by Dirk Murphy, District Ranger, Mohave District]
During the early morning hours of September 4th, Boulder City PD
notified the park of a high-speed felony pursuit of a stolen vehicle
heading into park jurisdiction. The chase had begun in Henderson and
several officers from that department were also involved. The driver,
R.V.T., was distraught about a fight that she'd had with her
boyfriend and was reported to be suicidal and possibly armed. When she
entered the park on Highway 93, she was driving at speeds in excess of
100 miles per hour and was headed towards Hoover Dam. Rangers staged at
a local casino in order to be ready to provide assistance where needed.
R.V.T. eventually stopped at a small roadside turnout in the park
and got out of the car holding a small caliber handgun to her head.
Rangers and Hoover Dam, Boulder City, Henderson and Las Vegas Metro
officers cordoned off the area, closing the busy interstate highway to
all traffic. A tense, three-hour standoff ensued, during which police
negotiators from Henderson and Las Vegas kept the woman talking and
considering other options. R.V.T. was eventually convinced to lay
down the handgun and surrender. Henderson PD is handling the case.
Counseling has been sought for R.V.T. While quickly set up "on the
fly," the successful resolution of this incident came about as a result
of effective coordination among all of the state and federal agencies
involved.
On September 9th, K.G.S., 54, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pled guilty to battery domestic violence in Las Vegas Justice Court and was given the minimum sentence for a second domestic violence conviction — 90 days suspended sentence, pending good behavior for a year; a $560 fine; 10 days' house arrest; community service; and mandatory domestic violence counseling. His conviction was based on an assault he committed against his wife while they were camping along the shoreline of Lake Mead on June 23rd. She was able to escape with the help of friends who responded by boat to pick her up, transport her back to the marina, and take her to a hospital for treatment of her injuries (internal and external bruising). When interviewed at the hospital, she said that she did not want to file charges against her husband. Additional interviews were conducted with friends of the victim involved in the rescue. The case was originally submitted the United States Attorneys Office for prosecution. In consultation with that office, the decision was made to take the case to the Clark County District Attorneys Office for prosecution under the state of Nevada's domestic violence law.[Submitted by Scott Hinson]
On Saturday, September 18th, rangers checked out a report of a
possible drowning at Placer Cove.
On the morning of Tuesday, October 5th, rangers responded to a report of a drowning near Echo Bay. The reporting party told rangers that he and a friend had been fishing the night before when their 23-foot vessel was swamped and subsequently sunk due to a microburst from storm that blew through the area. Both men donned life jackets as a result of the storm. The person making the report stayed with the vessel and eventually reached the shore. His friend made several attempts to make it to shore, but each effort was unsuccessful due to high winds and large waves. He was last seen letting go of a rope that the reporting party had sent to him. The man's body was recovered later that morning. Weather conditions at the time of the drowning consisted of 50 mph
winds with five to six foot waves. This was the park's 20th
fatality this year.
At about 6:30 p.m. on April 5th, dispatchers received notice that a young man had fallen off rocks while hiking near White Rock Wash. Rangers and Mohave County Sheriff's Office personnel responded and found that the 17-year-old Las Vegas boy had died in the fall. J.K. and two friends had been hiking when he decided to attempt to scale a wall. He was not using any climbing gear or safety equipment of any kind. J.K. reached a point where he could no longer go up the face of the rock. He was attempting to climb back down when he fell about 75 feet to his death. This area of the park is popular among hikers who visit the Arizona Hot Springs on Lake Mohave. White Rock Wash is located in Arizona and can be accessed at about mile marker 5 on U.S. 93 (south of Hoover Dam). This is the park's fourth fatality this year. [Submitted by Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
On Thursday, May 19th, T.H., 44, of Las Vegas was found shot to death
on Northshore Drive at about 11:45 pm. An investigation by Las
Vegas Metro Police, the FBI and the NPS revealed that T.H. was the
victim of a contract murder. L.A.H. III, 24, A.E., 33, K.C., 29, and
D.C., 24, were subsequently arrested. Each faces charges of murder and
conspiracy to commit murder. L.A.H. and A.E. are the son and daughter of
the owner of the Palomino Club, an all-nude strip club in North Las
Vegas. The pair hired K.C. and D.c. to kill T.H. because of a dispute
involving the family's businesses. K.C. was arrested on Saturday after a
two-hour standoff with SWAT officers. L.A.H. and A.E. were arrested
Tuesday following raids on the Palomino Club and another family
business, Simone's Auto Plaza. D.c. was arrested on Wednesday.
On May 26th, rangers responded to a call for assistance from Arizona
DPS after a vehicle failed to stop at the Arizona checkpoint. The
vehicle continued north towards Hoover Dam, where anti-vehicle ramps
were deployed, blocking the vehicle's access to the dam. A Hoover Dam
officer who tried to stop the vehicle was shot at, but not hit. One of
the occupants was suspected of robbing a bank in Arizona and another was
later determined to be a hostage. The vehicle fled south on Highway 93.
Stop sticks were deployed by Wackenhut security guards near mile nine on
Highway 93, but the vehicle continued south. Responding rangers began a
search of side roads and pull-offs south of the Arizona checkpoint until
they were advised that Kingman PD was in pursuit of the vehicle on
Interstate 40, approximately 60 miles south of Hoover Dam, and were
being shot at by the suspected bank robber. He had carjacked another
vehicle and shot the driver after the stop sticks were deployed. The
pursuit ended when Arizona DPS shot and killed him near Kingman.
At about 2:45 p.m. on May 26th, rangers and Las Vegas Metropolitan
Police Department officers found the body of K.J.H. in an
unnamed wash in the Callville Bay area of Lake Mead. The 48-year-old
Henderson, Nevada, woman is believed to have died from exposure. She had
come to Lake Mead with a male friend on the evening of May 24th to go
swimming in a remote cove. When the vehicle they were driving
became stuck in the dirt, they left it and headed toward the water.
Somewhere along the way, they became separated. At about 7:35 a.m. on
May 26th, K.J.H.'s companion returned to Northshore Road and flagged
down a passing NPS maintenance worker for help. The Clark County coroner
was called and will determine the exact cause of death.
A Henderson Police Department officer was injured in a motorcycle accident on Northshore Road just before 8 a.m. on August 11th. The officer was one of five students participating in a four week HPD motor officer training course. The officers were on a training ride and this was the last day of the third week of their training program. They were traveling in a staggered line formation, with two instructors in the front followed by the five students and then two additional instructors in the rear. The officer injured was on the inside line of riders in the fourth position and drifted off the roadway near the end of a left hand turn. The officer remained upright, but the motorcycle then tumbled violently. The remaining officers on scene requested emergency services and rangers were dispatched from the Northshore and Boulder Districts. Rangers arrived on scene and provided medical assistance to the patient. The officer was transported via helicopter to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he was treated and released. The National Park Service and the Henderson Police Department are investigating the accident. [Submitted by Mary Hinson, Deputy Chief Ranger]
At about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st, 70-year-old N.K.
of Michigan was fatally injured in a tragic boating accident at Lake
Mead. She and four other people were boating near Willow Beach on the
Nevada side of the Colorado River when the driver of the boat made an
evasive maneuver that ejected her from the boat. H.K. was pulled from
the water and transported to Willow Beach, where bystanders began and
continued CPR until park rangers and rescue personnel arrived on scene.
Mercy Air personnel administered advance life support and H.K. was
transported to University Medical Center, where she later died of her
injuries. The exact cause of the accident is currently under
investigation. This was the 16th fatality in the park this calendar
year.
Despite gasoline prices at an all time high, visitation to the park was high over the weekend, registering only a minor drop (189,219 people visited). Rangers managed the crowds with the continued help and support of numerous local agencies. Over the course of the weekend, rangers responded to 1,482 incidents, issued 69 citations, and made 4,107 visitor contacts. Significant incidents for the weekend included four fatalities, multiple arrests, multiple emergency service medical responses and multiple search and rescue incidents. Among them were the following: September 3rd - A 64-year-old man who was boating with friends drowned on Lake Mohave after he got out of the boat to take a swim. Witnesses said that he was not wearing a life jacket at the time and that he was unable to hold on to a boat fender that was thrown to him when he started to experience trouble. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor. September 4th - A 30-year-old man who was recreating with several of his friends drowned when he attempted to swim to an off-shore peninsula. He was reported to be a poor swimmer and was not wearing a life jacket at the time. September 4th - A 14-year-old girl from Bullhead City who was being towed behind a boat was hit in the head by a jet skier estimated to be traveling at 40 mph. She remained unconscious on scene. She was intubated and airlifted to University Medical Center, where she later died as a result of her injuries. The operator of the jet ski was arrested for boating under the influence and transported to Laughlin. September 4th - A 45-year-old man who had consumed 18 beers climbed up a cliff and jumped off. He landed on the outdrive of a vessel and sustained multiple propeller cuts to both arms and legs, including a laceration over the femoral hip/groin area. A visitor on scene placed a tourniquet on the wound using a bungee cord and metal barbeque tongs. The man was air lifted to University Medical Center. September 4th - Members of an interagency law enforcement team met at Placer Cove to conduct a saturation patrol in the area, including Aztec Wash. Law enforcement rangers and officers from the National Park Service, US Forest Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service made numerous educational contacts and issued citations for possession of controlled substance and fishing violations. Proactive patrols and aggressive enforcement and education for boating and water use activities continued to be a high priority for park service personnel throughout the weekend. [Mary Hinson, Deputy Chief Ranger]
On the morning of November 1st, rangers responded to the Boulder Beach Campground to investigate a report of two visitors who had failed to pay camping fees. During the course of the investigation, the rangers determined that the pair had provided them with false information. A search of their vehicle and campsite revealed drug paraphernalia and items associated with identity theft. Further investigation revealed that the items confiscated were associated with numerous crimes that had taken place in the states of Montana and Nevada. The U.S. Secret Service was contacted and both subjects were arrested on felony charges. A joint investigation is underway. [Mary Hinson, Deputy Chief Ranger]
On the evening of November 11th, rangers received a report that a woman somewhere in the area of Saddle Cove had attempted to commit suicide by mixing alcohol and hydracodone. The reporting party, who remained on the phone with emergency dispatch, provided directions to responding rangers. Upon arrival, they found a woman with an altered level of consciousness. Due to the remote location, a decision was made to move the woman to the roadway to meet with rescue personnel. Prior to moving her, she became unconscious and stopped breathing. Advanced life support measures were applied and continued until Mercy Air personnel arrived on scene. The woman was then transported to University Medical Center for further treatment. [Mary Hinson, Deputy Chief Ranger]
On December 5th, park dispatch reported receiving a "be on the lookout" message for a man who'd kidnapped a woman in Las Vegas. Shortly thereafter, the kidnapper called 911 and reported that he was in the park with the hostage with the intent to kill her and commit suicide. A Metro PD helicopter located the vehicle in a remote area off North Shore Drive. Rangers and special agents responded and secured the area. A Metro SWAT team and emergency service personnel were dispatched to the area and a unified command was established. Further information from the helicopter confirmed that both the kidnapper and his hostage were in the area. Metro SWAT entered the area and located the kidnapper. Shots were fired, and medical personnel were requested. A Metro SWAT officer had shot and killed the kidnapper. The hostage was recovered unharmed. This incident is currently under investigation by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. [Mary Hinson, Deputy Chief Ranger]
On Monday, February 6th, a 47-year-old man forced himself into the home of a Henderson, Nevada, woman and subsequently stole her vehicle. He then drove to Hoover Dam, where he failed to stop at the security checkpoint and continued towards the dam. When he reached a second security point, he rammed a Hoover Dam patrol vehicle, injuring the officer, then fled back towards Boulder City with other Hoover Dam police officers in pursuit. Along the way, he intentionally rammed several citizen's vehicles. Rangers followed the chase until the vehicle was disabled by spike strips deployed by Boulder City PD officers. As rangers and Hoover Dam officers were taking the man into custody, a responding Boulder City police vehicle collided with one of the parked and unoccupied NPS patrol vehicles. As it spun around, it struck one of the rangers, causing minor injuries, and forced another ranger to take evasive action, which also caused minor injuries. The man was transferred to police in Henderson, where several felony charges are pending against him. Federal charges will be filed shortly. The Hoover Dam officer and the two rangers were taken to local hospitals, where they were treated and released. The Boulder City PD officer was not injured. [Mary Hinson, Deputy Chief Ranger]
On Saturday, March 6th, a visitor walking his dog along the shoreline of Lake Mead found the body of a woman in tall grasses near the Government Wash launch ramp. Park special agents and rangers investigated and found that she had likely been murdered and dumped from a vehicle. Las Vegas Metro PD homicide detectives have joined the investigation. The woman has been identified as a 21-year-old Las Vegas resident. The manner and cause of death are being determined by a Clark County medical examiner. [Mike Blandford, Special Agent)
On April 19th, a park special agent made a traffic stop on a Dodge truck towing a Wells Cargo trailer in the Boulder Beach District after the truck failed to yield the right of way at an intersection. The 39-year-old driver, who could not produce a driver's license or registration, appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The agent spotted what appeared to be a semi-automatic Glock pistol on the floorboard, later determined to be a plastic pistol with the orange color carved off the barrel. The driver was frisked and a crack pipe was found in his pants pocket. When advised that he was under arrest, he fled on foot toward Boulder Beach Campground, where he was arrested after a short chase by the agent and a ranger. The man's backpack was found to contain a significant amount of methamphetamine and marijuana. Investigation revealed that the truck had been embezzled from Enterprise Rent-a-Car and that the trailer was also reported as stolen. The truck and trailer contained numerous stolen and suspected stolen items, including a stolen Suzuki motorcycle, two portable generators, a personal watercraft, autographed collectable baseballs, and about $10,000 worth of hand and power tools. Further investigation by park special agents led to the discovery that the man had been living in a stolen fifth-wheel RV at Lakeshore Trailer Village, which has also been recovered. Found inside the trailer were several stolen license plates and numerous other items believed to have been stolen, including stereo equipment, a television, wristwatches and narcotics paraphernalia. [Mike Blandford, Special Agent]
Two drownings occurred in the park this past weekend - the first on Friday afternoon, the second on Saturday evening. The first incident was reported just after 5 p.m. on Friday. A visitor notified park dispatch that a 39-year-old man had been swimming off a houseboat north of Echo Bay on the Arizona side of the lake when he went underwater and failed to resurface. The missing swimmer was part of a group of about 30 visitors from California on three houseboats. Rangers were on scene within a half hour and began dive operations in an effort to find his body; at the time of the report, the search was still underway. On Saturday evening, dispatch received another call reporting a possible drowning, this time a 16-year-old man from North Las Vegas. Rangers were told that he and a friend went swimming from the Government Wash area on the Nevada side of the lake out towards an island. The boy began having difficulty and called for help. Two other young men in the party swam out to him, but were unable to keep him from disappearing beneath the surface. Rangers searched the area for several hours on Saturday night, but were unable to find him. The park's dive team is searching for his body. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
On the afternoon of Saturday, May 13th, an 18-year-old woman from California was critically injured when hit by a boat propeller. The woman was riding on the back of a personal watercraft (PWC) being driven by a 16-year-old girl when the PWC drove in front of a boat operated by a 16-year-old male. He tried to avoid the PWC, but was not able to miss it completely. The boat hit the rear end of the PWC and the passenger was hit several times by the boat's propeller. A witness to the accident called for help at about 2:20 p.m. and brought the injured woman to the launch ramp. She was treated by rangers and EMS personnel, then flown to UMC Trauma in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, searches continued yesterday for the two people who drowned in the lake over the weekend. On Sunday morning, rangers and the park's dive team recovered the body of the 16-year-old who drowned on Saturday night. They then resumed the search for the 39-year-old man who disappeared on Friday night in Overton Arm (not the Arizona side of the park as was previously reported). The search proved fruitless, though, and was called off at 5 p.m. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
Two visitors died in lake waters on Sunday, May 21st. A ranger on boat patrol in mid-afternoon came upon an unoccupied personal watercraft (PWC) near Temple Bar in Lake Mead. There was nobody in the vicinity. About an hour later, the ranger learned that there had been three women on the PWC. The ranger and a Temple Bar concession employee found an exhausted 33-year-old woman in the water near Delmar Bay at 5:10 p.m. Shortly thereafter, they found the other two women not far away. One, age 24, was extremely tired but alive; the other, age 69, had expired. All three women were wearing life jackets. Rangers believe wind and wave action caused the women to be separated from the PWC and each other. At about the same time, a ranger was on foot patrol in the South Telephone Cove area on the Arizona side of Lake Mohave. Two adults ran up to him and reported that their four-year-old daughter had been in the water on a raft and had fallen into the lake. Rangers on a boat found her body in the lake about a half hour later. A lake wind advisory was in effect for the park at the time that both fatalities occurred. Both victims are believed to have drowned. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
Three people died in Lakes Mead and Mohave over the Memorial Day weekend. All are believed to have drowned: On the afternoon of May 26th, the park received a marine band radio call reporting a woman in the water and needing immediate medical attention near Princess Cove on Lake Mohave. The caller also reported that the woman had been operating a personal watercraft (PWC) with two passengers aboard. Rangers and Bullhead City FD paramedics reached the cove by road within minutes and were soon joined by rangers who arrived by boat. CPR was begun but proved unsuccessful. The two passengers told rangers that they'd been in the water for 30 to 60 minutes and had not been able to get back onto their PWC. Rangers believe that wind and wave action were significant factors in the 32-year-old woman's death. A lake wind advisory was in effect at the time, with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts of up to 40 mph. At least eleven other visitors were rescued from Lakes Mead and Mohave that day. All were on vessels affected by strong winds and high waves. Visitors on a houseboat found a body floating in Lake Mead around 5 p.m. on May 27th. The victim is believed to be a 21-year-old man who'd been reported missing the previous day. The man and a 22-year-old female companion had headed out on the late in a small vessel around 11 a.m. on Friday, May 26th. They were reported missing at 7:30 p.m. About an hour later, rangers found the woman in the water. She was wearing a life jacket and told them that her boyfriend was also in the water and wearing a life jacket. An interagency search was begun, but had to be called off around midnight due to extremely windy conditions. A seven-year-old girl who was on a raft and not wearing a life jacket was carried out into the lake near Boulder Beach by strong winds on the evening of May 27th. Witnesses told responding rangers that she did not know how to swim. Her body was found by visitors around 7 p.m. The three deaths were the ninth, tenth and eleventh fatalities to occur in the park this year. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
Park dispatch received a call on the afternoon of June 10th reporting that a 24-year-old Las Vegas man had gone into the water near Government Wash and failed to resurface. According to witnesses, the man could not swim and was not wearing a life jacket. Rangers and state game wardens responded, but were unable to find him. The park dive team was therefore called in and recovered his body about two hours after the initial report. This was the 13th fatality at Lake Mead NRA this calendar year. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
The Southern Nevada Area Partnership (SNAP) interagency law enforcement team joined officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Nevada Highway Patrol to conduct fireworks enforcement patrols and checkpoints on public lands in southern Nevada, including the park, from June 30th to July 4th. The purpose of the enforcement effort was to prevent fireworks use on public lands and wildfire starts from their use. As a result of the operation, no wildfire starts were reported, 20,000 pounds of fireworks were seized, numerous visitors were contacted, many citations were issued and several arrests were made. The SNAP team was created in 2002, with the first rangers/patrol officers hired in 2004. For the past two years, rangers/patrol officers have been conducting patrols and scheduled joint operations on federal lands surrounding the Las Vegas Valley, primarily focusing on unified and cost-effective approaches for the management, conservation, preservation and protection of visitors and natural and cultural resources. The Fourth of July joint operation was hosted by the Forest Service. For more information on the team or the event, please contact David Leveille, patrol captain on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, at 775-355-5399, or interagency resource protection law enforcement specialist John Tesar at 702-293-8944. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
Park dispatch received a call around 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 20th, reporting that a 26-year-old Las Vegas man had gone into the lake for a swim with friends but had failed to return to shore. Rangers found that a group of five men had been fishing in a cove, and that three of them had decided to go for a swim. Only two returned. A search was begun, suspended at 12:30 a.m., then resumed during the day. His body was found on the first dive. He is presumed to have drowned. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs]
Park dispatch received a call around 6 a.m. on Monday, July 23rd, reporting a missing man. G.O., 42, of Las Vegas, Nevada, had come to Callville Bay on Sunday to go boating and camping with friends. At about 1 a.m., he walked away from this group and became lost in the desert without water. At about 3 a.m., G.O. called a friend on his cell phone and told him that he was lost near Callville Bay. The friend came to the park to try and find him but was unsuccessful and called rangers for help. Rescue personnel were chiefly concerned about the effect of heat on G.O., as the temperature hit at least 117 degrees on Sunday. When last contacted by cell phone, G.O. told his friend that he was on a big rock in the desert and that he was hot and tired. Joining the search were the park's aircraft, Metro PD SAR teams, a Metro PD helicopter, and an interagency fire crew and helicopter. Rangers and special agents were able to reach one of the members of G.O.'s party around 5 p.m. and found that the group had actually been on the Arizona side of the lake when G.O. went walking in the desert. The interagency helicopter began a search of that side of the park and he was spotted within 15 minutes. G.O. was picked up by a ranger boat just before 7 p.m. He was dehydrated but otherwise okay. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer] HYPERLINK "http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-25-Tue-2006/news/8676554.html"
L.M., 43, of Brooklyn, New York, was boating and tubing with friends on Lake Mead on the afternoon of August 9th when he jumped into the lake to cool off, went underwater, and disappeared. It took his friends about 15 minutes to find him and pull him from the water. They made a 911 call, which was routed to a county fire dispatcher who gave them instructions on how to perform CPR and determined that they were near Lake Mead Marina. The caller then told the dispatcher that he thought that they were in fact near Las Vegas Boat Harbor. The dispatcher contacted the park and provided both possible locations, and rangers began searching the Boulder Basin area from the marina to the boat harbor. About a half hour later, a second 911 call came in and was this time transferred immediately to the park's dispatch center. The park dispatcher also gave the caller CPR instructions and determined that the group was actually at Las Vegas Bay. Rangers and a medevac helicopter were dispatched to the area. Medics continued resuscitation efforts for the better part of an hour before they were terminated by medical control. Drowning is considered the likely cause of death. This was the 20th fatality at the park this year. If the coroner confirms that it was a drowning, it will be the eighth drowning of the year. There were six drownings and a total of 25 fatalities in 2005. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
Sun, fun and ideal weather conditions brought thousands of visitors to the park over the Labor Day weekend. For the third time this year, park staff saw more visitors over the course of a weekend than many parks see in an entire year. Rangers, interagency dispatchers and law enforcement personnel from the park and several state and county law enforcement agencies rose to the challenge and provided exceptional service to the 153,755 visitors recorded over the holiday weekend. On one of the busiest weekends on record, rangers responded to 1,610 incidents, issued 219 citations and made 3,565 visitor contacts. Interagency dispatchers recorded in excess of 11,000 calls, including both radio traffic and phones. Significant incidents for the weekend included a major SAR for a missing boater, three lives saved in two separate incidents, 24 arrests (the majority associated with alcohol), 13 EMS responses, and nine search and rescue incidents. Proactive patrols and aggressive enforcement and education for boating, water use activities, speeding, and alcohol and disorderly conduct continued to be a high priority for all hands. Incidents included the following: On Saturday, September 2nd, rangers and rescue personnel responded to a report of an overturned vehicle near the Wetlands trailhead. A car containing two adults and two juveniles had left the road and rolled down an embankment. All four had gotten out by themselves and refused medical treatment. The driver was found to be intoxicated and was arrested for operating under the influence. Shortly thereafter, a park pilot on aerial patrol saw another vehicle doing doughnuts in the Government Wash parking area. Rangers intercepted the driver at the Lake Mead Drive entrance station and found that he was very intoxicated. He was also arrested. On Sunday, rangers dealt with multiple assault calls throughout the park. While patrolling in the Boulder District, a ranger saw a man who was operating a vehicle beating his female partner, who was holding a three-month-old baby. The vehicle was stopped and the driver was arrested. During that call, rangers elsewhere in the Boulder District responded to a report of a fight in progress on a moving vessel near Lake Mead Marina. Rangers used pepper spray when the man refused to comply with their orders. He was arrested, taken to a local hospital for observation, then transported to jail. While en route to a request for assistance at another incident in the Boulder District, officers from cooperating agencies were notified of a stabbing in the Place Cove area. They found that a man had suffered non-life-threatening wounds to his head and face. Suspects matching the description of the assailants were found to be associated with the MS 13 and 18th and 38th Street gangs. Other law enforcement officers were called in, including NPS special agents, members of Las Vegas Metro's gang unit, and officers from BLM and the Forest Service. There were no arrests, but several suspects were identified. Three lives were saved in two separate incidents later on that same day. Rangers in the Boulder District were dispatched to a report of a drowning near Government Wash. Rescuers began CPR and continued it for about ten minutes until Mercy Air medical personnel arrived and took over. The victim regained a pulse and breathing before being taken to University Medical Center. Elsewhere, rangers and Nevada Division of Wildlife officers responded to a report of a woman who'd fallen and injured her head near mile marker 33 on Lake Mohave. The 74-year-old woman was found at the top of a 100-foot cliff. She and her husband had been driving down an adjacent wash when their Jeep broke down. They hiked about three miles toward the lake, where both began to experience the effects of severe dehydration. Temperatures at the time exceeded 110 degrees. Immediate cooling and c-spine treatments were begun. The woman was flown out by Mercy Air. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
The park closed several areas on Saturday due to damage caused by heavy rains and flooding. The Willow Beach access road washed out, stranding a number of employees and visitors. Initial estimates were that the road would be closed for at least a couple of days. Plans were to boat people down to Cottonwood Cove, then bus them back to Boulder City, Henderson or Las Vegas. Willow Beach is 13 miles south of Hoover dam and is on the Arizona Side of Lake Mohave. At the time of the report (Saturday), efforts were also underway to rescue a group of 39 visitors stranded in Black Canyon. Their canoes, kayaks and tents had all been washed away. Black Canyon is the area from Hoover Dam south to Willow Beach. The St. Thomas Road, just north of Overton Beach Marina, was also washed out. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
As was reported this past Monday (click on "More Information" for the original report), the park closed several areas on Saturday, October 14th, due to damage caused by heavy rains and flooding. The Willow Beach access road washed out, stranding a number of employees and visitors; another group of 36 people were stranded in Black Canyon; and the St. Thomas access road washed out. Here's what's happened since then: Saturday - Rangers and Forever Resorts concession employees rescued the people stranded in Black Canyon. The visitors, who had been on canoe and kayaking trips, were rafted back to Willow Beach, then shuttled by rangers up the washed out access road to Highway 93. The visitors stranded at Willow Beach were also shuttled out. Forever Resorts provided shuttle buses from that point back to their office in Boulder City. NPS maintenance crews began work on repairs to the Willow Beach access road. All river trips in Black Canyon were cancelled. St. Thomas access road remained closed. River rafting, canoeing and kayaking trips in Black Canyon were suspended. Sunday - The Willow Beach and St. Thomas access roads remained closed. Concession trips on the river in Black Canyon remained suspended. Monday - Engineers and park staff began evaluating the Willow Beach access road and determined that it will have to remain closed for at least a week. The St. Thomas access road also remained closed. Concession trips on the river in Black Canyon remained suspended. There were no reported injuries, fatalities or missing persons as a result of the storm and subsequent flooding. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer] HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=2918"
Park rescue personnel, concession employees and Clark County firefighters responded to a vessel fire at Lake Mead Marina on Wednesday, October 25th. A cabin cruiser, located on the B dock, was found to be fully engulfed in flames. Quick action and a two-and-a-half-hour coordinated response stopped the fire from spreading throughout the marina. The marina, located in the Boulder District, has three main docks and moorings for hundreds of vessels. Because of current low water conditions, responders had to haul firefighting equipment 1500 feet down a head walk and out onto the marina. Once the fire was contained, the vessel was cut loose and towed to a location where it was safely extinguished. Due to the quick response and heroic efforts by responders, there were no deaths or injuries and only minimal damage to the marina and surrounding vessels. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
The park continues to recover from flash flooding caused by heavy rains on the weekend of October 14th. Willow Beach Access Road and Lower Portal Road will reopen on Saturday, November 4th. The former will open at 2 a.m. on Saturday as a courtesy to fisherman who like to access the area in the early morning hours. Lower Portal Road will be open to the river rafting concessioner and to canoe and kayaking permit holders from November 4th until November 26th, then will closed until January 30th for previously scheduled site improvements. (Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
Park dispatch received a burglary alarm from the Lake Mead Boulevard entrance station on November 1st. Boulder rangers were immediately dispatched. They found that one of the doors of the building was open, cleared the building, then began an investigation. They discovered that the burglars had first attempted to gain access to the entrance station by smashing rocks against the bulletproof window. When that failed, they pried open the steel maintenance door at the rear of the building, got inside, then smashed through a wall to gain entry to the area where the safe was located. They failed to open the safe, so turned their attention to a cash register, smashing the empty register open. The interior security camera was ripped off the wall, but the recording device remained intact and is being reviewed. Although unsuccessful in stealing any money, the burglars caused about $5,000 in damage. Las Vegas Metro CSI assisted in the investigation by retrieving a significant number of finger and shoe prints from the scene. The case is currently being investigated by rangers and park special agents. [Chief Ranger's Office]
On December 28th, rangers found a large illegal dumping site while on patrol near the River Mountains just east of Henderson, Nevada. The dump was located on Bureau of Land Management land, bordering both the park and Bureau of Reclamation properties. Strong winds and recent storms in the area had spread trash from the site (approximately three truck-loads of blueprint documents) onto all three jurisdictions. A cardboard box with a FedEx shipping detail was collected at the scene. Special agents from the NPS and BLM were contacted and conducted an investigation that lead them to a company located in Las Vegas named Energy Inspectors. During an interview, two employees from the company, M.D.R. and J.S., admitted to dumping the blueprints over a two-month period at the location. They both returned to the site and removed the trash. The case will be prosecuted by BLM. The joint investigation is one of many that have occurred over the past three years in Clark County as a result of the southern Nevada area partnership interagency law enforcement team. The team includes rangers - and, more recently, special agents - from the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Forest Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. The team was created in 2004 as a result of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. For more information on the team, please feel free to contact interagency resource protection specialist John Tesar, who can be reached at 702-293-8944. [Paul Crawford, Acting Supervisory Special Agent]
A van carrying eight juveniles rolled over near mile marker 9 on the Cottonwood access road sometime after midnight on March 14th. A 14-year-old girl died on impact. Just before 5 a.m., a visitor came upon the accident and reported it as a rollover accident with two victims. Clark County dispatched a volunteer fire and rescue team from Searchlight; park dispatch was notified shortly thereafter. Arriving rangers found four people at the accident scene - one who showed no signs of life, one who was critically injured, and two others who were injured but alert and oriented. The critically injured victim was flown out by helicopter to a hospital. Although the injured juveniles said that nobody else had been in the vehicle, a fifth juvenile, also critically injured, was soon found some distance from the scene. She was flown out by a second helicopter. One of the other occupants subsequently reported that there were seven people in the vehicle, so rangers began searching for the others. They found three of them - making the total eight, not seven - at the Cottonwood swim beach five miles away. They'd walked from the accident scene to the beach, but hadn't notified anyone of the accident. The Nevada Highway Patrol's CRASH investigation detail, comprised of experts in traffic accident investigation, was called in to assist. Initial investigation revealed that all eight juveniles lived in the same trailer park in North Las Vegas, and that the van had been taken without permission from another resident of the trailer park. They'd been camping at Cottonwood and had evidently gone to Searchlight for supplies around 11 p.m. The accident occurred while they were on their way back. Nevada Highway Patrol officers drew blood from the driver, but there was a delay of about eight hours between the time of the accident and the time of the blood draw. Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor. [Lena Boesser-Koschmann, Supervisory Park Ranger]
On the afternoon of March 17th, rangers received a report of a submerged vehicle at the Callville Bay launch ramp. When they arrived, they found a completely submerged vehicle with the driver trapped inside. Rescue and extrication efforts were underway by United States Navy personnel and the driver's 16-year-old nephew. Extrication proved difficult, though, as the driver was entangled in his seatbelt. The nephew therefore had to enter the vehicle in order to release his uncle. Live saving measures were begun as soon as he was brought to shore. The man was unconscious and not breathing, but spontaneously resumed breathing after his head was repositioned. He was flown via air ambulance to University Medical Center, where he was treated and released. The man evidently suffered a seizure while attempting to retrieve his vessel. The nephew is being credited with saving his uncle's life and has been nominated for DOI's "Citizen's Award for Bravery." [Eric Lisnik, Mead District Ranger]
On April 10th, rangers were approached by a visitor who was holding what she identified as an "explosive device." It was inside a cardboard tube that had been opened on one side. She told rangers that she found it on the frontage road below Boulder Beach Campground. On-scene personnel identified the device as live military ordnance and immediately closed the area. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department bomb squad and the Nellis Air Force Base explosive ordnance disposal unit were dispatched to the area and the device was removed. They determined that the ordnance was an incendiary device capable of incinerating the person holding it and causing serious injury and death to anyone nearby. The immediate action taken by park staff significantly reduced the risk exposure to the public and responding personnel. The point of origin is still under investigation. [Eric Lisnik, Mead District Ranger]
On May 3rd, rangers in the Mead District responded to a 911 report of a rollover motor vehicle accident with entrapment on Lakeshore Road. Upon arrival, they found an overturned vehicle with four people inside - one dead and three in critical condition - and a fifth person with moderate injuries outside. The occupants of the second vehicle involved in the accident sustained moderate injuries. Rangers extricated two of the critically injured victims and provided advanced life support until medevac helicopters arrived. They were flown to a trauma center by Mercy Air, while the other four were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. Assisting at the accident scene were officers and rescue personnel from Boulder City PD, Henderson Fire and Rescue, Nevada Division of Wildlife, and Hoover Dam PD. Because of the fatality, the accident is being investigated by the Nevada Highway Patrol. The rangers have been credited with saving the lives of the two critically injured victims due to their immediate response and their actions at the scene. During the accident investigation, a drunk driver failed to yield at a roadblock and entered the accident scene. He was arrested for DUI. [Bob Trodahl, Fire Chief]
Last week, rangers responded to a report of an emotionally disturbed man who'd reportedly told people at the Lake Mead Trailer Village store that he'd been "swimming through blood." The rangers contacted him near a vehicle that was packed with an assortment of items. He was standing behind the open driver's door and was wearing several layers of clothing, with a towel draped around his neck. He refused to comply with repeated requests to move away from the vehicle and show his hands. One ranger then drew a taser, while the other attempted to gain control of the man. The man then struck the second ranger, who also deployed a taser and subdued him. During the search incident to arrest, the rangers found a knife and carpet cutter within the towel draped around the man's neck. He was charged with assault on a federal officer and with carrying a concealed weapon. The park receives eight million visitors each year and on average arrests about 350 of them. Last year, rangers responded to 48 calls requiring either the display or use of force - 78% involving firearms, 18% involving intermediate defensive equipment (including physical control techniques), and 4% involving tasers. The taser program at Lake Mead was put into effect parkwide late last year. This year, rangers have responded to 26 calls requiring the display or use of force. Of these, 16 involved the display of a taser, with three of the 16 requiring use of the taser to gain compliance. This tool has permitted rangers to gain compliance without requiring them to draw their firearms or utilize intermediate defensive equipment or physical control techniques that entail a high exposure to and risk of serious injury and/or death. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
Park firefighters responded to a report of a structural fire in the concession employee housing area at Temple Bar around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 20th. Temple Bar is situated within the Mohave District on the Arizona side of Lake Mead and is considered to be a remote location. Firefighters staffing Engine 8 arrived on scene to find two structures fully engulfed in flames, with extension to a third structure. A quick size-up revealed one person had sustained minor burns and that all other people had been evacuated from the area. Outside contingency resources were not available, requiring Engine 4 to respond from Boulder Beach. Accepting no unnecessary risk, firefighters conducted defensive operations to control exposure to additional structures within the area. Quick action, coordinated team response and a well-executed plan played an integral part to the success of this operation. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The park has seven engines that provide fire suppression to nine developed areas within Lake Mead. The park documented 31 engine responses in 2006. There have been 16 so far this year. [Bob Trodahl, Fire Chief]
Four men were injured, one critically, when a 30-foot boat exploded after it was refueled at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor Marina on Lake Mead last Thursday. The park learned of the explosion around 5 p.m. when calls came in from the marina requesting emergency personnel. Two of the men were airlifted to an area hospital, one with critical injuries and the other with serious injuries. The other two men were taken by ambulance to an area hospital with minor burns. All of the men are from southern Nevada. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
Park dispatch received a call about a possible drowning at Special Events Beach, a part of Boulder Beach on the Nevada side of the park, around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 3rd. Rangers and state wildlife wardens responded in four boats and were on scene ten minutes later; other rangers, wardens and EMS personnel responded by vehicle. A PWC without a rider was found adrift off the beach, and operators of other PWCs advised rangers regarding the point where he'd last been seen. About an hour later, they recovered the body of a 44-year-old Las Vegas man in 15 feet of water about 100 yards from shore. He was not wearing a life jacket. An investigation is underway, but rangers have so far determined the following: The man and a female companion launched their PWCs at Special Events Beach. The man's PWC became disabled, and he may have entered the water in an effort to determine what was wrong. Witnesses soon saw him disappear under the lake's surface. Several visitors on PWCs tried to find him, but were unsuccessful. This was the 11th fatality of the year at Lake Mead. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
Once again, ideal weather conditions brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to the park over the Memorial Day weekend. As has been the case in the past, park staff this year saw more visitors over the course of the holiday weekend than many parks see in an entire year - nearly 250,000 visitors recorded over the period. Proactive patrols and aggressive enforcement continued to be a high priority for NPS and interagency personnel, who responded to 1,204 incidents. The interagency dispatch center recorded more than 18,344 calls, including both radio traffic and phones. Weekend statistics included 768 warnings, 201 citations, 16 arrests, 33 medicals, four search and rescue operations, four structural fire responses, five wildland fire responses, and 2,118 visitor contacts. Significant incidents included: Four lives saved in four separate incidents, including two near drownings, a person in a diabetic coma and an infant who'd stopped breathing; Three assaults on federal officers, with four use-of-force incidents and a taser deployment logged; and Two dock fires and multiple bonfires put out in high fire danger areas. Lake Mead's implementation of the Coast Guard's model for operational risk management (ORM) continues to play a significant role in park operations. Over the course of the weekend, park personnel "played to win" by displaying characteristics of a safe operation that included well thought-out plans that addressed desired results, team expectations, available resources and the use of the GAR (green, amber, red) model to ensure that no unnecessary risks were taken. For more information on ORM, please feel free to contact deputy chief ranger Dave Horne at 702-293-8764 or visit this web site at HYPERLINK "http://www.dirauxwest.org/TCTF/team_coordination_training.htm". [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
Park dispatch received an emergency call reporting an injury to a 25-year-old man around 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 14th. The man had been water skiing at a high rate of speed in the Boulder Basin area and evidently lost control and slammed into the water. Rangers, state wardens and a Mercy Air 11 helicopter responded. Rangers attempted to revive the man, but were unsuccessful. An investigation into the cause of death is underway. This is the park's twelfth fatality this year. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
A supervisory park ranger en route to work on July 5th came upon a single vehicle rollover accident on Highway 93 just inside the park. A quick initial assessment revealed that there were seven victims - two in critical condition and five with minor injuries. The two in critical condition were women who'd both sustained major trauma. One had been ejected from the vehicle, the other was trapped inside. The woman who'd been ejected was unconscious and unresponsive and was immediately taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital in Boulder City, where she was pronounced dead. The second woman was extricated and flown to the UMC trauma center. The remaining five, including a two-year-old boy, all had minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to the University Medical Center. The accident is under investigation, alcohol is not believed to be a factor. Assisting NPS rangers and wildland fire personnel with the accident were units from Boulder City PD, Boulder City Fire and Rescue, Hoover Dam PD, and the Nevada Highway Patrol. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
The park received an emergency call via marine band radio on the afternoon of July 7th in which a woman reported that her husband had disappeared while swimming in Lake Mohave. Rangers were on scene in about six minutes. The operators of at least four private vessels who heard the emergency call over the radio also responded to the area to help locate the man. About an hour after the initial call for help came in, the victim's body was located by one of the private citizens assisting with the search. Rangers on the NPS dive team and a diver from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department recovered his body at about 8 p.m. The man's wife reported that a group of family members and their pet dog had been boating and were swimming in the water. The couple had brought along four nieces and nephews from Los Angeles on their trip. They decided to head back to shore when the wind increased, creating two- to three-foot wavers. When she reached shore, her husband was no longer swimming behind her. Although the children were all wearing life jackets and made it safely to shore, he did not have one on. About 99 percent of the drownings that have occurred in the park could have been prevented if the victims had been wearing life jackets. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
Storm cells that passed over the park late last week caused substantial damage at several locations: Cottonwood Cove (Nevada side of Lake Mohave) - Trees were uprooted in the lower campground and are being cleared by maintenance crews. The upper campground has minor debris from overflowing irrigation ditches. Both upper and lower campgrounds remain open. Eldorado Canyon (Nevada side of Lake Mohave) - The access road off Highway 165 was closed due to mud and debris blocking the road. Maintenance crews were scheduled to clear the area after higher priority storm damage areas were repaired and/or cleared. Princess Cove (Arizona side of Lake Mohave) - The drainage area adjacent to the parking lot sustained significant damage. Several hundred feet of rip-rap used to prevent erosion on slopes has been washed away along with curbing. That portion of the parking lot is closed, but most of the rest of the lot remains usable. Maintenance crews will work to repair this lot this week. Katherine Landing area roads (Arizona side of Lake Mohave) - Cabinsite Road and North and South Telephone Cove Roads sustained minor flooding and maintenance crews have cleared the major debris and made the roads usable. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
In September of 2004, Cottonwood Marina personnel reported that the houseboat Jumpin' Jack Splash had been stolen from its moorings in the marina. Later in the evening, a responding ranger found the vessel abandoned and adrift in the channel. After talking to surrounding boaters, rangers were able to determine that the "pirates" were camped in the area along the shoreline with another stolen vessel. The park's special response team entered the campsite and found M.B. and T.G. sitting next to the booty that had been plundered from the houseboat. Both were arrested and charged with burglary. Another individual was arrested for possession of methamphetamine. On June 25th, M.B. and T.G. both pled guilty to 18 USC 661 for their participation in the theft of the house boat. They will pay restitution and serve their sentences concurrently with unrelated state felony convictions. [Les Seago, Special Agent]
Over the Labor Day weekend, Lake Mead rangers provided professional service to nearly 120,000 visitors who entered the park. Incidents over the course of the weekend included 17 arrests, five search and rescue incidents, 22 medical responses and the issuance of 126 citations. Significant incidents included a call for medical assistance for a man who sustained third degree burns to his face when his personal watercraft blew up and a SAR operation in which rangers were required to make repeated approaches to a cliff face to rescue stranded boaters whose vessel sank after taking on water due to high winds and waves. Lake Mead's implementation of the Coast Guard's Operational Risk Management (ORM) model continues to play a significant role in park operations. Unfortunately, the high activity and extreme conditions over the weekend took its toll on the staff and was identified as a contributing factor in a near catastrophic event in which a park ranger fell asleep at the wheel and slid his patrol car off the road into a ditch. An after-action review revealed that the ranger had worked back-to-back shifts in excess of 12 hours with minimal rest. In response to the review, the park's Ranger Activities Division has implemented mandatory shift requirements for all emergency service employees. This is one of many changes that has occurred within the division as a result of ORM, including the creation of a duty officer position and the realignment of division personnel. For more information on ORM, please feel free to contact deputy chief ranger Dave Horne at 702-293-8764. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
On August 26th, rangers conducted a sobriety checkpoint on Lakeshore Drive. Within three hours, they contacted about 300 drivers and arrested nine of them for driving under the influence. This was one of a series of six coordinated checkpoints conducted in the park in an effort to reduce alcohol-related incidents. The park averages ten fatalities and 190 motor vehicle and boat accidents each year, many of them directly associated with alcohol. The checkpoints are conducted in coordination with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Nevada Department of Wildlife, and Arizona Game and Fish. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
Rangers are searching for a 39-year-old North Las Vegas man named E.M., who was last seen windsurfing without a lifejacket at 5:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 19th. E.M. was windsurfing in extremely high wind conditions, with gusts of up to 40 mph, near the Boulder Islands. Witnesses on the beach saw the windsurfer go down near the islands at about 5:30 p.m. and never saw him again. This area is in the Boulder Basin on the Nevada side of Lake Mead. Rangers immediately began a search for E.M., dispatching two boats to the area. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Search and Rescue (Metro) helicopter was called in to assist. E.M.'s windsurfer was located at about 7 p.m. in between Sentinel and Saddle Islands, but there was no sign of him. The search was suspended for the night, then resumed the following morning. Rangers on three boats searched the water and an NPS fire crew searched the shoreline. Metro's helicopter again assisted with the search effort. The presumption is that E.M. drowned. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
A tour helicopter en route to the Grand Canyon made an emergency landing at the Pearce Ferry airstrip on the afternoon of September 27th after being struck by a golden eagle with an eight-foot wing span. The eagle hit and went through the windshield on the passenger side, striking the middle rear passenger, a 64-year-old woman. She sustained some trauma to her face and head and was flown via Mercy Air Ambulance to the UMC trauma center. The pilot and two other passengers were also reportedly injured, but refused medical treatment. The Grapevine Mesa Fire Department coordinated emergency care. Rangers from the Mohave District are investigating. [Submitted by Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
A boater who was passing the Boulder Islands on Lake Mead early on the morning of September 29th saw a man waving for help from one of the islands. The man told the boater that he and a friend had had a boating accident the previous evening and that his friend was still missing. The boater called 911, but was unable to tell the dispatcher where they were on the lake. He therefore continued on to the nearest marina, Las Vegas Boat Harbor, and asked employees to call rangers for help. A marina employee assisted rangers in the search for the missing man. The Las Vegas Metro PD search and rescue team was called in. Metro divers found the man's body in between 20 and 40 feet of water. An investigation is underway. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
K.R., 16, of Bullhead City, Arizona, died in a single-vehicle accident on the Katherine Spur road during the early morning hours of Friday, February 8th. A security guard from the Lake Mohave Resort and a worker from Waste Management found the vehicle overturned on the side of the road around 5 a.m. that morning and called 911. Bullhead City fire personnel and police officers responded along with rangers. K.R. was pronounced dead at the scene by Bullhead City Fire Department paramedics. An investigation is underway. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
A 40-year-old Las Vegas man died on Saturday, February 9th, while participating in a technical dive in the area around the submerged PBY Catalina flying boat that crashed into Lake Mead in 1949. The park's dispatch center received a relayed 911 call reporting the accident just before 2 p.m. Rangers responded by boat and were soon on scene. They performed CPR on the diver for about 45 minutes, but without avail. Mercy Air 11 also responded, and medical personnel on board pronounced the man dead at about 3 p.m. The victim was diving with three other Las Vegas men when he apparently had a problem with his air supply. The park is currently investigating. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death. The submerged aircraft is a popular diving spot for technical divers and is in the Boulder Basin area of Lake Mead. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
Park dispatch was notified of a boating accident near the Swallow Cove area just before 5 p.m. on the evening of Friday, February 29th. When rangers arrived, they learned that a boat operated by R.J., 60, of Las Vegas, Nevada, had started sinking after coming into contact with the cove's shoreline. Witnesses attempted to aid him after making the report, but could not find either R.J. or the boat. A search conducted that evening proved fruitless. On Saturday, rangers, volunteers and Metro PD SAR personnel found his body near the boat. The accident is under investigation by rangers and the county coroner's office. The cause of death has not yet been determined. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
On March 27th, a federal grand jury in Phoenix, Arizona, indicted six people on two felony counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and two felony counts of robbery in a case that originated at Lake Mead. On February 24th, park rangers and special agents arrested them after two men reported that they'd been assaulted and robbed on a beach near Kingman Wash on the Arizona side of the lake. Both men suffered serious head and facial trauma, as well as numerous other injuries, and were taken to a hospital. A crime scene investigation by rangers and agents led to the discovery of large amounts of blood on the rocks and dirt in the campsite area. Each of the six arrested had blood on his clothing and hands; each had more than $500 in cash, with blood visible on several of the bills. Three of the suspects have been identified as being affiliated with a white supremacist gang in Las Vegas. Special agents continue to work with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in ongoing gang investigations. [Submitted by Kristy J. McGee, Special Agent]
On March 27th, a federal grand jury in Phoenix, Arizona, indicted six people on two felony counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and two felony counts of robbery in a case that originated at Lake Mead. On February 24th, park rangers and special agents arrested them after two men reported that they'd been assaulted and robbed on a beach near Kingman Wash on the Arizona side of the lake. Both men suffered serious head and facial trauma, as well as numerous other injuries, and were taken to a hospital. A crime scene investigation by rangers and agents led to the discovery of large amounts of blood on the rocks and dirt in the campsite area. Each of the six arrested had blood on his clothing and hands; each had more than $500 in cash, with blood visible on several of the bills. Three of the suspects have been identified as being affiliated with a white supremacist gang in Las Vegas. Special agents continue to work with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in ongoing gang investigations. [Kristy J. McGee, Special Agent]
At about 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning, employees at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor Marina discovered a fire on the Lake Mead Marina portion of their 1,350-slip marina. The fire was isolated on a part of the Spyglass portion of B-Dock. Boats in slips 78, 79, and 80 were completely destroyed by the fire, and two other boats on that finger of the dock were damaged. Las Vegas Boat Harbor concession employees successfully contained the blaze with the assistance of park rangers and fire personnel. Investigators determined that the owner was not on the boat, and that no one had evidently been injured. The concessioner has conducted an evaluation of the damage and made a preliminary estimate that it totaled about $1 million. All boat owners affected by the fire have been contacted. This marina was moved in February from Boulder Harbor to its new location next to Las Vegas Boat Harbor Marina. Both marinas are now operated by Las Vegas Boat Harbor Inc. The fire has not in any way affected access to the rest of the marina, which remains open for business. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
A 22-year-old Mexican citizen, A.C.-R., died while swimming at the Cottonwood Cove swim beach on Thursday, May 29th. A.C.-R. was attempting to swim to the buoys north of the launch ramp when the accident occurred. He was not wearing a life jacket. Friends and family members noticed they could no longer see him; they swam out to try to find him and discovered his body in about 10 feet of water. Cottonwood Cove is located on the Nevada side of Lake Mohave. A.C.-R. was in the area visiting family members from North Las Vegas, Nevada. At this time, rangers do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in this presumed drowning. The Clark County Coroner will make the official determination about the cause of death. This is the second drowning and 12th fatality this year at Lake Mead. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
R.D., 45, drowned near the Hemenway fishing pier on June 1st while attempting to retrieve a boogey board that had floated away from shore. He was not wearing a life jacket. R.D.'s friends and family members noticed saw him go under; they pulled him from the lake and immediately began CPR. The pier is located on the Nevada side of Lake Mead near the Hemenway launch ramp. At this time, rangers do not believe that either alcohol or drugs were factors in this presumed drowning. The Clark County Coroner will make the official determination about the cause of death. This is the third drowning and 13th fatality this year at Lake Mead. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
L.J., 54, died on Saturday, June 7th, after being critically injured while swimming in Gasoline Alley. Witnesses reported that L.J. jumped into the water, then swam behind a vessel that was backing up and was struck by the propeller. L.J. was pulled from the water by bystanders, who transported her by private vessel to Katherine Landing. While en route, responding rangers met the vessel and provided advance life support. L.J. was taken to the Western Area Medical Center, then to University Medical Center, where she died from her injuries. Gasoline Alley is a popular boating area that is located on the Arizona side of Lake Mohave. The accident is currently under investigation. This was the park's 14th fatality this year. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
The park's dispatch center received a call from M.H. of Las Vegas around 1 a.m. on Friday, June 27th. He reported that he and a female friend had been boating in Boulder Basin when their 30-foot boat struck something and began to quickly take on water. He told his friend, who was wearing a life jacket, to jump into the water. He then quickly grabbed a few essential items, including a life jacket, cell phone and a flashlight, and joined her in the lake. After two hours of trying to swim to shore, he called for help and told dispatchers that they were somewhere between Callville Bay and Black Island. Rangers and NPS boating volunteers were soon on scene, spotted the light from M.H.'s flashlight, and rescued the pair. They were given warm clothes and water and are reported to be okay. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
A 23-year-old Prescott, Arizona, man was with a group of friends at Lake Mead on the evening of June 29th when he jumped off a 90-foot-high cliff near Sidewinder Cove on the Arizona side of the lake. He did not resurface. A Nevada Department of Wildlife warden was in the area and was on scene within 15 minute. He tried to locate the man while rangers responded to join him, but was unable to do so. Las Vegas Metro PD divers subsequently recovered the body. Cliff divers often believe that they are jumping or diving into water that is much deeper than it is in reality. Additional dangers include rocks and outcroppings that are under the water and can't be seen from above. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist]
An emergency call for help came into the park dispatch center around 7 p.m. on the evening of Saturday, July 5th. The caller told the dispatcher that a man and woman were in the lake at Six-Mile Cove and were having difficulty returning to the shoreline. The woman had evidently been having trouble, and the man had gone out to help her. Neither was wearing a life jacket. She made it back to shore and was airlifted to Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, but he disappeared. Rangers searched for him until dark, but were not able to find him. His body was recovered the following day. He has been identified as M.H., 52, of North Las Vegas. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer]
On July 13th, Lake Mead rangers responded by boat to a report of a fight in progress aboard a vessel in Boulder Harbor. They found a badly beaten man lying on the floor of the boat, and determined that he'd been beaten repeatedly by fists, feet and a boat oar by two people who he'd met earlier in the evening at a local bar. The assault took place over a three-hour period. When the man attempted to summon help from passing vessels, he was beaten repeatedly until he stopped yelling for assistance. The victim remains in the hospital, recovering from his injuries. His assailants are being held without bail until trial. [Eric Lisnik, Acting Chief Ranger]
Due to the anticipated high influx of visitors, Lake Mead and Mohave District staff implemented an incident operations plan to provide 24-hour coverage from Friday through Monday during the Labor Day weekend. Operational leadership principles provided the framework for establishing staffing levels and work schedules, making it possible for the park to meet competing workload demands with available staff while managing risk appropriately. More than 150,000 visitors came to the park over the weekend. There was isolated thunderstorm activity on Saturday, followed by windy conditions throughout the day Sunday. During the weekend, the interagency dispatch center fielded 11,740 radio transmissions and 1,444 phone calls with 197 CAD entries. Dispatchers also dealt with 390 vehicle stops and 427 emergency calls. Thirteen alcohol-related arrests were made. Rangers responded to 18 medical calls, which included at least two saves, towed 40 boats, and executed 10 water rescues, many of which occurred during a high wind event that sank several boats. Fire personnel assisted in a vehicle fire (fully involved RV), managed air operations and participated in most of the 18 medical calls over the weekend. Other incidents included the following: Near Drowning - A 10-year-old boy was swimming near the shore in 6 Mile Cove along with other children while his parents watched from shore. The boy was not wearing a life jacket, although waves were over four feet at times, with a strong south wind. He began having trouble swimming and ended up going underwater for an unknown amount of time before the adults recognized the problem and brought him to shore. Rangers Culver and Park began patient care and called for Mercy Air. Lake Mead fire crews set up a landing zone and additional personnel responded by water. As rangers and fire personnel cared for the boy, he began to slowly regain consciousness and became responsive. Mercy Air flew the boy to a hospital in Las Vegas. Boating Mishaps - On Sunday, high winds resulted in numerous calls for assistance and several rescues on the lake. Rangers Provencher, Lavasseur, Martin, McKay and Arnberger and supervisory special agent Crawford crewed boats and rescued dozens of visitors from Lake Mead under highly adverse conditions. Drowning - Park personnel received a call on Friday, requesting assistance at the Callville Bay Marina. A visitor slipped while moving from the dock to a tied boat and fell into the water and was not able to get out. The next morning, the park asked Las Vegas Metro Search and Rescue to conduct a dive operation and recover his body. The victim was the commodore of the Lake Mead Yacht Club. Hells Angel Visit - The park received assistance from Golden Gate NRA, Yosemite NP and a Park Police special event and tactical team (SETT) in the management of a Hells Angels "poker run." This interagency effort included police departments from Henderson, Boulder City, and Hoover Dam and was also supported by NPS special agents and officers from other federal agencies. The presence of the SETT made it possible for the park to manage weekend operations while minimizing the overall impact the event had on visitors. [Charles Cuvelier, Acting Chief Ranger]
On September 16th, rangers received a report that a vessel had been stolen from its slip at the Lake Mead Marina. The owners of the vessel reported that their son had stolen it and had used one of their credit cards to fuel the vessel without authorization. It was determined that the son has an extensive criminal history, including an arrest for obstructing a police officer, and was listed on the dangerous offender list. The rangers found the man in a group, but he slipped into the water and swam away before he could be arrested. An extensive search of the area was conducted, but he managed to evade arrest. On the following day, marina personnel reported seeing him changing his clothes and walking towards the Hacienda Hotel and Casino on an old power line road. Rangers and officers from Hoover Dam and Boulder City formed a perimeter around the area where he was located, then utilized the park's dog team - ranger Todd Austin and "Onyx" - to assist in the arrest. He was taken into custody without incident. Both felony and misdemeanor charges are pending. [Eric Lisnik, Mead District Ranger]
On September 16th, ranger received a report that a man was having a seizure at the Long View overlook. When they arrived on scene, they found an unconscious and unresponsive man lying face down near the picnic area. Advanced life support was provided by ranger/paramedic Tod Austin, and the man was flown to a local hospital by Mercy Air 11. Subsequent investigation revealed that he'd tried to hang himself from the shade structure in the picnic area, but that the knot had come undone when he jumped from the picnic table. [Eric Lisnik, Mead District Ranger]
On the afternoon of October 3rd, P.T., 19, of Bullhead City, Arizona, dove into Lake Mohave from a boat near Rams Head Cove but failed to resurface. The park received a report of the accident around 3:30 p.m. and rangers were on-scene within an hour. Divers from Bullhead City FD found his body in about 70 feet of water two hours later. He was not wearing a life jacket and is presumed to have drowned. [Andrew Munoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Around 1 a.m. on November 9th, rangers received a report of an assault that had taken place near Government Wash. Investigation revealed that the primary suspect was M.B. of Jackson, Mississippi, who was wanted by the FBI and listed as a "featured fugitive" on a web site run by its office in that city. Rangers searched the area but were unable to find him. Later on the next day, NPS special agents who were staking out the area received a report from the Government Wash campground host that he thought he'd seen M.B. walking into a nearby wash. The park's search dog, "Onyx," and handler ranger Todd Austin, together with rangers Joel Hyzer and Stephen Dollinger, began tracking M.B. from the point where he'd last been seen. They soon found him and he surrendered without incident. He was later released to the FBI. M.B. was wanted by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a scam to defraud Gulf Coast homeowners, mostly elderly, out of more than $100,000 since 2005. The victims' homes were damaged by Hurricane Katrina, and M.B. was hired to repair them. He allegedly obtained money to repair the homes, but performed no work. M.B.'s search and capture was accomplished through a coordinated effort by rangers and NPS and FBI special agents. [Eric Lisnik, District Ranger] HYPERLINK "http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/fugitives/wcc/baria_ml.htm"
A 35-year-old Las Vegas man died as a result of a fall while hiking on Fortification Hill on the Arizona side of the park this past Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The park learned of the accident through a transferred 911 call from a member of the man's hiking group just before 11 a.m. that morning. According to investigators, the man fell about 75 feet while attempting a climb. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification. [Andrew Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
Rangers rescued two 64-year-old Las Vegas fishermen last Saturday night after their boat sank in the Virgin Basin, four miles southeast of Echo Bay. The park received the report via cell phone around 8 p.m. Winds at the time were gusting to 45 mph and the air temperature was 36 degrees. Rangers launched a rescue boat from Callville Bay and began their search of coves in the north end of the Virgin Basin. The sunken boat was found with just its bow above water, but there was no sign of the two men. They were found on the shore of Ramshead Island and were suffering from hypothermia. One of the men saved the other by pulling him about a half mile to shore. It took about four hours to find the pair. Both men were wearing lifejackets. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
On Friday, January 9th, the park received a report that two men were overdue from a boating trip to Lake Mohave. The two men - J.M., 70, and F.B., 74, both of Parhump, Nevada - had departed from Cottonwood Cove on the Nevada side of the lake early that morning in a 12-foot aluminum boat. Rangers began a search with the assistance of spotters in an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter. J.M.'s body was found near Tamarisk Cove at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning; F.B.'s body was found near 9-Mile Cove around 4:40 p.m. that afternoon. Both have been turned over to the county coroner's office. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Reports indicate that it was windy on the lake on Friday, which may have been a contributing factor. [Andrew S. Munoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
Rangers from Lake Mead were among the first responders on scene at a tour bus accident on U.S. 93 on Friday, January 29th. The accident killed seven Chinese tourists and injured ten others. In mid-afternoon, the park's interagency dispatch center received a request for assistance at the accident from the Mohave County Ranchos Fire District. Thirteen rangers were dispatched and were joined by Bureau of Reclamation police officers form Hoover Dam. The accident occurred about 20 miles outside the park. A half dozen agencies responded along with six medevac helicopters. According to news reports, the bus was heading to Las Vegas when it veered off the road from the northbound lanes into the southbound lanes. The tour bus is owned by D.W.T. of San Gabriel, California. The Arizona Department of Public Safety and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
On February 24, 2008, five people were arrested by rangers and special agents for assaulting and robbing two men on a beach near Kingman Wash on the Arizona side of the park. Both victims suffered serious head and facial trauma and other injuries. Each of the five people arrested - J.A., Ja.A., J.B., A.G,, and S.M. - had blood on his or her clothing and hands; each also had $500 in his or her possession, with blood on a number of the bills. Special agents collected physical evidence from the suspects and the crime scene, then interviewed them and a child witness. A special agent later identified and located a sixth suspect, W.K., who'd fled from the scene. He confessed and was arrested. A search warrant was obtained for the suspects' vehicles, where more blood evidence and information pertaining to the victims was found. Overwhelming DNA evidence connected each of the six assailants to the victims. Keck was arrested for homicide while he was awaiting trial and is currently incarcerated in Las Vegas. The A.s and S.M. have been identified as being affiliated with the Hammerskins, a violent white supremacist gang associated with the skinhead movement. Special agents and rangers continue to work with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in ongoing gang investigations. J.A., Ja.V., J.V., A.G., and S.M. pled guilty on felony counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and robbery; the defendants are awaiting sentencing. [Kristy J. McGee, Special Agent]
Once again, ideal weather conditions brought thousands of visitors to the park over the Memorial Day weekend. Park personnel and numerous state and county law enforcement, fire and emergency medical personnel provided exceptional service to the 135,455 visitors who were recorded over the holiday weekend. Proactive patrols, aggressive enforcement, and educational campaigns for safe boating, water use activities, speed and alcohol, public disorder, and fire prevention were all focus areas for park service personnel. Over the course of the weekend, park personnel responded to nearly 1,000 incidents, including 533 warnings, 201 citations, 35 arrests, 22 medicals, three search and rescue operations, two fatalities and 11,000 visitor contacts. Lake Mead's interagency dispatch center recorded in excess of 13,000 radio and phone calls. Lake Mead's implementation of operational leadership (OL) continues to play a significant role to park operations. Nearly all Lake Mead employees have attended OL training and are actively utilizing OL's key principles. In addition to park wide implementation of OL, superintendent Bill Dickinson rolled out Lake Mead's "101 Days of Summer" campaign prior to the weekend. Recognizing that summertime is a time when visitors tend to be over-anxious and less attentive in their eagerness to enjoy all of their carefully planned events, the park established an interdisciplinary team that focuses on internal and external summer safety messages designed to raise awareness of risks associated with water and shoreline recreation in a desert environment. As we all know from OL, eagerness and inattention can be a tragic combination that contributes to preventable accidents. Primary safety messages over the holiday weekend included the following: Wear it for life! Life jackets help you survive the unexpected and let you return to enjoy the lake again. Boat safe. Follow the navigation rules. Maintain a proper lookout. Maintain a safe speed for the conditions. Boat smart. Watch the weather. It can make lake conditions change rapidly. Make sure your boat has all needed safety equipment. Boat sober. If you drink, be responsible and don't operate the vessel. Heat and alcohol don't mix. For more information on operational leadership or the "101 Days of Summer" campaign, please feel free to contact deputy chief ranger Dave Horne at (702) 293-8764. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
C.F., 48, was with friends on a houseboat in Crescent Cove in the Virgin Basin yesterday when he jumped into the water for a swim. C.F. had been treading water for about a minute when he called for help. By the time his friends began throwing life rings into the water, he'd slipped beneath the surface. Rangers were notified around 4:30 p.m. and responded with five rescue boats - two from Boulder Harbor, two from Echo Bay and one from Temple Bar. Las Vegas Metro PD provided a rescue helicopter. Surface and shoreline searches were fruitless, and operations were suspended at dusk. Weather conditions in the area had created a light chop, about one to one-and-a-half foot waves in open water. According to rangers, though, the water was relatively calm in the area where he was last seen. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers and wildland firefighters responded to a fire at the Hoover Dam bypass project on Sunday, July 12th. The fire was reported to the Lake Mead Interagency Dispatch Center at about 9:40 a.m. Bureau of Reclamation police officers from Hoover Dam were first on scene and reported that there were flames at the base of the bridge pier on the Nevada side. Rangers and firefighters faced steep grades and 70 to 100 foot cliff drops getting down to the fire. A report that explosives might be in the area delayed the initial attack on the fire. A helicopter from Las Vegas Metro PD was able to check the area for explosives; none were sighted. The flames were extinguished by noon, and no injuries were reported. The Colorado River Bridge is part of the $234 million Hoover Dam bypass project. When completed, it will have a nearly 2000-foot road deck on 1,060-foot twin-rib concrete archs that will span the Colorado River 900 feet above the water just down river from Hoover Dam. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers rescued six members of a California family last Thursday after they had to abandon their boat near Castle Cove when it was swamped by four-foot waves created by high winds on the lake. The boat then sank, leaving them in the water for about an hour until rangers reached them. Fortunately, all were wearing lifejackets, which almost certainly saved their lives. The original report of the sinking was made to marina staff at Las Vegas Boat Harbor, who in turn advised the park. Boat Harbor staff were first on-scene with two boats and pulled three of the people from the water. There was only one injury - a woman in her 60s suffered minor lacerations and exhaustion and was taken to a hospital. A wind advisory was in effect at the time, calling for winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts over 50 mph. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A tour helicopter from Maverick Helicopters, Inc. made an emergency landing in the park just before 6 p.m. Monday evening after striking a bird in mid-flight. The helicopter landed safely on the River Mountains loop trail near a Southern Nevada Water Authority water treatment plant. Game wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife saw the damaged helicopter land on the trail, a paved multi-use path, and headed to the scene. They provided first aid while National Park Service rangers responded. The pilot suffered a laceration to the face requiring stitches. He was transported to the hospital by park service ambulance. None of the six passengers aboard - all tourists from London - were injured. The helicopter was heading to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas when it struck the bird. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
The park has suspended dive operations in the search for G.E., 50, of Lawndale, California, who drowned Sunday afternoon near Eighty-Three Dollar Cove in Lake Mohave. Park rangers will continue to make a daily search of the area by boat. G.E. drowned near the mid-channel of the lake, where water depths range from 90 to 110 feet. Bullhead City Fire Department divers dove where he was last seen on Sunday, and Bullhead City Police Department divers dove on Monday without success. A search of the area was also made employing an underwater camera and sonar. According to witnesses, G.E. jumped into the water to retrieve a lost hat. He went underwater and has not been seen since. He wasn't wearing a life jacket. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
For the second time this week, a tour helicopter has been forced to make an emergency landing at Lake Mead. The helicopter, operated by Sundance Helicopters of Las Vegas, made an emergency landing yesterday evening at Callville Bay. According to the pilot, he had alarms and warnings indicating an electrical problem. He decided to land the aircraft as soon as possible as a precaution and for the safety of the six passengers on board. The helicopter was on its return flight from the Grand Canyon back to McCarran International Airport when it diverted. No injuries were reported. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Lake Mead rangers and firefighters and Clark County FD firefighters responded to a boat explosion in the Callville Bay Marina yesterday evening. Seven people from Las Vegas were aboard when the explosion happened. Five were injured; three were transported by ambulance to University Medical Center, but the other two declined treatment. Injuries included burns and abrasions. Forever Resorts marina employees provided first aid to the injured and protected visitors by moving the boat away from the marina. While the exact cause of the incident remains under investigation, investigators suspect that this may have been caused by a buildup of gasoline fumes. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers are investigating the cause of death of an 11-year-old Las Vegas boy who died late Thursday night. An autopsy performed by the Clark County Coroner's Office on Friday concluded that the primary cause of death was carbon monoxide asphyxiation, with drowning as a contributing factor. The boy was with his parents and one other sibling aboard a Seven Crown Resorts rental houseboat out of Echo Bay Marina when the incident occurred. The houseboat has been secured and rangers will be working with U.S. Coast Guard marine casualty investigators this week to determine the source of the carbon monoxide. On Thursday night, park dispatch received a transferred 911 call reporting that a boy had been found underwater under a houseboat near Echo Bay. It took rangers almost two hours to locate the houseboat in the dark. Helicopters from Mercy Air and Las Vegas Metro Police Search and Rescue aided in the search. The family was found in a cove about 500 yards north of the entrance to Echo Bay. The boy was transported by Mercy Air to University Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A 22-year-old woman died on Saturday evening after being struck by a boat propeller in Gasoline Alley on Lake Mohave. She was brought to the Princess Cove launch ramp, where medical responders were waiting, and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The woman was with family and friends aboard a pontoon boat. According to witnesses, she fell off over the bow of the boat when everyone onboard moved to the front, causing the bow to go underwater. She then disappeared under the boat, passing between the pontoons as the boat traveled forward at about six to eight miles per hour. She was found in the water after the boat passed over her with severe injuries from the propeller. The incident remains under investigation. The body has been turned over to the Mohave County Coroner's Office. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
The bodies of two brothers, ages 33 and 29, have been recovered from Six Mile Cove on Lake Mohave. The Clark County coroner has determined that both men drowned. On Tuesday evening, rangers, Las Vegas Metro Police, and Clark County Fire responded to a 911 call reporting a body floating face down in the water at the cove. Metro and Clark County Fire arrived on scene first and pulled the body from the water. Rangers continued the search on the water for the second man. He was located in six feet of water at about 10:40 p.m. Campers in the area found the body in the water and called 911. They reported that they had seen the brothers together earlier in the day. Rangers located their car on shore and found identification indicating both were Mexican nationals living in Las Vegas. Neither was wearing a lifejacket. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 19-year-old Las Vegas man who drowned in Lake Mohave was recovered on Sunday, September 6th. Divers from Las Vegas Metro Police found the body in about 14 feet of water. The park had learned of the drowning earlier that afternoon via a transferred 911 call from Bullhead City. According to reports, the man swam out to a point of land with five friends, but lagged behind and disappeared under the surface on the way back. Friends and bystanders began searching the area. They were unable to find him, so called 911 about 20 minutes after he went under. Rangers and Arizona game wardens responded. Rangers located the body about 35 feet from shore in 14 feet of water. He wasn't wearing a lifejacket. [Andrew Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Park staff, with assistance from Las Vegas Metro Police divers, have recovered the body of D.A., 45, who drowned on Sunday morning in Lake Mohave. The drowning was reported to the park by Cottonwood Cove Resort staff, who overheard a distress call made on marine band radio VHF channel 16. Park rangers arrived on scene within an hour and began their search of the area. Divers from Las Vegas Metro Police were called in and they recovered his body in about 35 feet of water at 5:30 p.m. D.A. was with his family on a houseboat in Mesa Cove when the accident occurred. The houseboat was beached, and D.A.'s 11-year-old daughter was in the water in an inflatable raft. Witnesses reported that the wind started to carry the raft away from the boat and that D.A. jumped into the water without a lifejacket to swim after his daughter. He made it about 50 to 60 feet from the boat when he went underwater and didn't resurface. Another family member was able to reach the girl and bring her back to the boat. This was the eleventh drowning at the recreation area this year. All but two drowning victims were not wearing life jackets. According to U.S. Coast Guard boating accident statistics released last month, over two-thirds of fatal boating accident victims drowned, and 90 percent of them were not wearing life jackets. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on felony charges that he unlawfully removed and damaged a large petroglyph from Forest Service lands in the Spring Mountains National Recreational Area near Pahrump, Nevada. M.C., 57, of Pahrump, is charged with one count of violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. If convicted, M.C. faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is charged under the felony provisions of the statute because the archeological resource is valued at more than $500. According to the indictment, between March and September 2008, M.C. knowingly excavated, removed, damaged, and otherwise altered and defaced a large petroglyph depicting seven sheep from Spring Mountains NRA without a permit or exemption. Nye County Sheriff's Department officials discovered the rock containing the petroglyph in M.C.'s front yard in Pahrump on June 24, 2009, and reported it to the Forest Service. The rock weighed about 200 pounds. M.C. was issued a summons and is scheduled for an initial appearance and arraignment on Friday, February 26th. This investigation is being conducted by the Forest Service, with the assistance of the law enforcement team of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) which includes the Forest Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service (Lake Mead National Recreation Area), and the Bureau of Land Management. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A 20-year-old Bullhead City man suspected of vandalizing petroglyphs in Grapevine Canyon was cited by rangers on Friday, March 19th. He and a 13-year-old boy were reported to have been shooting paintballs in the area. At least four petroglyph panels and numerous rock faces were defaced with paint. A caller to Bullhead City 911 reported that there were kids in the canyon shooting paintballs. Park rangers responded and contacted the man at the Grapevine Canyon trailhead parking lot. A preliminary investigation lead them to suspect that he was responsible for the red and green paint splatters in the canyon. The man was issued citations for defacing/disturbing an archeological resource, using and discharging a weapon, littering and vandalism. He was cited and released but will be required to appear before a federal magistrate. The National Park Service is coordinating the clean up with area tribes. For a series of photos showing the damage, click on the link below. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer] HYPERLINK "http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakemeadnra"
Rangers, assisted by Las Vegas Metro Police divers, have recovered the body of a 23-year-old man who evidently drowned in Lake Mohave. The body was recovered on Saturday evening at Morning Star Cove on the Nevada side of Lake Mohave. The victim was found approximately 40 feet from shore at a depth of 39 feet. According to witnesses, the man was swimming across the cove when he when he began to struggle and went underwater. A witness on shore notified the National Park Service minutes after the incident occurred. Bystanders attempted to help, but were unable get to him in time. Rangers and Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens responded to the cove and immediately began to search the area. The man was an El Salvadorian national living in Las Vegas. Rangers do not suspect alcohol was involved. He wasn't wearing a lifejacket. The body has been turned over to the Clark County coroner. The name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A search is underway for an 18-year-old Nevada man who disappeared Monday afternoon while swimming in the Colorado River. He is presumed to have drowned. The man was swimming in the river with two friends when they decided that the current was too strong and started swimming back to shore. His friends made it, but he began struggling and went underwater. The river current through Black Canyon averages from three to six miles per hour. The three men had hiked down to the river through Gold Strike Canyon following a popular route from Highway 93 between the Hacienda Hotel and the eastbound Hoover Dam security checkpoint. His friends called for help just before 4 p.m. after hiking two miles from the riverbank to the trailhead in order get cell phone reception. Las Vegas Metro Police Search and Rescue searched the area by air and park rangers by water, but there was no sign of him. Efforts at locating him continue. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Two children died in a trailer fire in the Temple Bar Marina employee housing area on the morning of July 19th. The singlewide concession employee trailer was fully engulfed in flame when National Park Service volunteer firefighters and rangers arrived. The volunteer firefighters involved in the initial response were employees of Forever Resorts, the authorized concessionaire for Temple Bar Marina. The park has called in counselors from the National Park Service and Mohave County Mental Health to provide grief counseling to both concession and NPS employees. National Park Service investigators, with assistance from Clark County Fire investigators, are looking into the cause of the fire. No other structures were affected and no other injuries were reported. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of Saturday, July 31st, twelve members of the Torrance family - five adults and seven children ranging in age from six months to eleven years - were rescued from Lake Mohave after their 24-foot boat sank. According to family members, high winds and waves on the lake began pushing water over the bow of the boat. All were saved after being in the water with waves nearly three feet high for about 20 minutes because they were wearing their Coast Guard-approved lifejackets. Three boats in the area rendered aid and rescued the family. Last year, the majority of boating and swimming-related fatalities occurred during the month of August. Rangers are reminding the public about being safe while on the lake. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A 36-year-old man drowned in Lake Mead at Government Wash on Monday afternoon. Rangers responded shortly after 3 p.m. to a report of a possible drowning. The man had been swimming just a few feet from shore when he went underwater. Nearby jet-skiers were able to pull his body from about six feet of water and take him to shore to begin CPR. The rangers were on-scene within 10 minutes of the initial call. CPR was continued for about another 30 minutes before he was declared dead at the scene. A preliminary investigation indicates that alcohol may have been a factor in the drowning. He wasn't wearing a life jacket. This was the fourth water-related fatality this year in the park. Typically, rangers see more drownings between August 1st and Labor Day weekend than any other time of the year. They attribute this to hotter temperatures that lead more visitors to head to the water to cool off. The park is nonetheless still well under the 14 water-related fatalities it recorded last year. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Park personnel, assisted by Las Vegas Metro Police Department divers, recovered the body of an 18-year-old man from the waters of Lake Mohave near Placer Cove Saturday night. Several friends were diving from cliffs near the cove when the victim jumped in from a height of about 30 feet and failed to resurface. A friend who dove in right after him didn't know that he was still in the area and struck him when he hit the water. The man then began to sink. Three other friends jumped in to rescue him, but found that he was sinking too fast to reach him. Divers recovered the body in about 50 feet of water around 10:30 that evening. The coroner will be determining the cause of death. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A 20-year-old Las Vegas man died yesterday at Six Mile Cove on Lake Mohave, an apparent drowning victim. Witnesses reported that he had been underwater at least five minutes before they noticed he was missing. It took bystanders about another five minutes to locate the man underwater and pull him to shore, where they began CPR. The park was notified at about 12:20 p.m. when a visitor alerted a maintenance employee in the area that they needed help. Park rangers and Clark County Fire Department and Mercy Air personnel responded. Rangers were on scene by 12:40 p.m., and continued CPR. The man was declared dead about an hour later. This was the fifth drowning in August and the eighth drowning this year in the recreation area. In all cases witnesses didn't suspect or notice the victims had drowned until at least five minutes after they went underwater. Water safety experts say a person can drown in seconds in as little as a teaspoon of water. Drowning victims typically slip underwater unnoticed. They don't splash or yell for help because their survival instinct is to hold their breath. Last year there were 14 water-related fatalities in the park; of those, 12 were drownings. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Park and concession staff rescued five people who were involved in a boating accident on the Colorado River last Friday. A visitor on a houseboat contacted the park by marine band radio that morning and reported a boat grounded 18 miles south of Hoover Dam. He also reported that three of the people in the boat had significant injuries. Rangers, concession employees from Willow Beach marina and MercyAir personnel responded. They found that a 65-year-old man, a 34-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man had been injured when the boat hit a rock and ran aground the previous evening. At least one person had been thrown from the boat. All five made it to shore, where they were spotted by the houseboater the next morning. All three injured visitors were taken to a Las Vegas hospital. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A search is currently underway for 16-year-old S.M., who was reported missing on Saturday. S.M. is believed to have gone hiking somewhere in the area between Gold Strike Canyon and White Rock Canyon. He is 6' tall, weighs 150 pounds, and has short blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, gray shorts and white sunglasses, and carrying a black backpack. He had bottled water and was carrying a couple of Bibles with him. According to his mother, S.M. hiked from their home in Henderson near the I-215 and U.S. 93 interchange to the recreation area. He had been keeping in touch with his mother by text message. His last text message was on Saturday just after 7 p.m., telling her that he could see the Colorado River and he was near Hoover Dam. She drove to pick him up at their prearranged meeting point at the Hoover Dam Visitor Center at 7:45 p.m. When he failed to arrive by 10 p.m., his mother reported him missing to a Hoover Dam police officer. Rangers and Hoover Dam officers immediately began a search of the area that lasted until 3 a.m. Sunday. The search was resumed at 6:30 a.m. that morning, but no sign of him has yet been found. Anyone who may have seen S.M. hiking or has information regarding his whereabouts should contact the National Park Service at (702) 293-8998 or (800) 680-5851. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
A Las Vegas Metro Police search and rescue team found the body of S.M. yesterday morning in Boy Scout Canyon. At approximately 9 a.m., searchers located footprints that matched the shoes S.M. was wearing. The team tracked the prints, which lead them to his body at the bottom of a ravine. The area was described as having 200-foot cliff faces. The cause of death will be determined by the Clark County Coroner's Office. The search lasted three days, during which searchers logged over 2000 man hours and covered an area of about 30 square miles. Yesterday's operation included searchers from Lake Mead and Grand Canyon, Las Vegas Metro Police, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Hoover Dam Police, and the U.S. Air Force 58th and 66th Rescue Squadrons. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
The park has closed off access to Lake Mead at the Boulder Beach, Lake Mead Parkway, Lake Mead Boulevard and Overton entrances due to flashfloods. Lakeshore Road and Northshore Road are also closed to through traffic. Rangers are also reporting that the road to Meadview has been washed out. For the most up to date road conditions, monitor the park's Twitter site at HYPERLINK "http://twitter.com/LakeMeadNRA". [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
The heavy rains from the storms that struck the park on Monday caused a flashflood in Callville Wash that significantly damaged the marina and knocked out electricity to the entire area. The ten-foot wall of water that came down the wash was powerful enough to move the 10,000-pound concrete blocks used to anchor the marina. No privately-owned boats at the marina were damaged, though. The park and Forever Resorts are working to restore operations at the marina as quickly as possible, but the area will likely be closed for at least several days. Meanwhile, Callville Bay and the Callville Bay access road have been closed to all park visitors. No services will be available to the public at the bay until the closure order is rescinded. Rangers are controlling access to the area at the intersection of Callville Bay Access Road and Northshore Road. Damage assessment teams will be working this week to assess the storm damage and provide accurate cost estimates. Preliminarily, damage estimates are near $1 million. NV Energy is working to restore power, but it's estimated it could take up to a week. Echo Bay launch ramp is closed due to the dirt access road being washed out. Maintenance crews should have access restored by the end of the week. All other services at Echo Bay including the marina, store and trailer village are open. Temple Bar and Hemenway Harbor launch ramps are open and all services are available from those marinas. Lake Mead RV Village is open. The most current conditions will be posted on the park's Twitter site at HYPERLINK "http://twitter.com/LakeMeadNRA" http://twitter.com/LakeMeadNRA. Information will also be available on the park's web site at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/lake". [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Electricity has been restored to the Callville Bay developed area. Visitors now have access to the campground, trailer village, and launch ramp, but a temporary closure order remains in effect for the Callville Bay Marina complex, which will continue to be off-limits to the public, including marina slip renters. Boaters are required to stay at least 20-feet away from the marina complex at all times. A damage assessment is still underway. Damage to backcountry roads and trails has been discovered, including bucking and washed out pavement on the River Mountain Loop Trail. The Callville Bay store and lounge will be back to normal operating hours on Saturday. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
The Callville Bay Marina complex and the low water launch ramp at Echo Bay have been reopened to the public. Access to the former is limited to marine slip renters, but the campground, trailer village, store and lounge there are open to all. Shuttle boat service for marina slip renters will continue on a daily basis from the launch ramp courtesy dock until access via the marina head walk is restored. Slip renters may elect to stay overnight, but restroom facilities are not yet available. Full services should be restored sometime within the next two weeks. Until then, boat fuel, sewage pump-out and boat rental services will not be offered. The park completed its field survey of damage late last week. Engineers are now working to estimate the cost of repairing the damage inflicted by the flashfloods. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
In early March, rangers at Lake Mead discovered evidence of a large scale operation involving the illegal removal of copper wire from a major electrical service line. Believing that the individuals responsible for the crime would return, a surveillance operation was conducted that eventually resulted in the arrest of two Nevada men. A search warrant was executed on the vehicle used to commit the crime which resulted in the recovery of over 300 feet of heavy gauge copper electrical wire. In subsequent interviews both men admitted to the removal of the copper wire, adding that they had been to the park on numerous occasions to steal wire. In total, they estimated that they had removed over 700 feet of wire, which they admitted to selling for a profit at a Las Vegas metal recycling center. Each was subsequently convicted on a single one count of theft of government property (18 USC § 641). On December 6th, one of the men was sentenced to five years of federal probation and was ordered to pay $49,539.81 in restitution to the park. The second man absconded from his court ordered stay in a half-way house prior to being sentenced; a federal arrest warrant for his capture is outstanding. [Investigative Services Branch, Pacific West Region]
On the morning of January 1st, rangers were dispatched to a report of a 78-year-old woman in cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, they found family members already administering CPR. Rangers took control of the scene, assessed the patient, continued CPR, and attached an AED. The AED advised that a shock was in order and it was accordingly administered. The woman regained a pulse and was medevaced to a hospital. [Christopher Ruff, Supervisory Park Ranger]
On March 6th, Lake Mead and Grand Canyon rangers received a report of a vehicle and a body in the Colorado River at the Pearce Ferry raft takeout. Upon arrival, rangers found a Toyota pickup partially submerged in the river and a man's body lying on the bank. River rafters, who discovered the truck, had pulled the man's body from the river. Investigators found a firearm in the vehicle and have concluded that the man took his own life with it. [John Bland, Supervisory Park Ranger]
National Park Service rangers and Boulder City firefighters extinguished a boat fire in the crowded Boulder Beach campground last Friday. They were on scene fighting the fire and evacuating campers within minutes, and had the fire contained about 20 minutes after the initial call. Flames also burned a tent and surrounding brush. Park investigators determined that the boat's operator was filling the trailered boat's tank from a gas container when he unintentionally hit the ignition switch. This evidently caused a spark that ignited fuel vapors. The boat's operator and his family were visiting the park from Las Vegas. No one was injured. [Andrew Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]
On April 21st, supervisory visitor use assistant Victoria Stone noticed a woman in her vehicle in the Lake Mead Marina parking lot who appeared to be unconscious. She notified both park dispatch and two protection rangers on a traffic stop near the marina. Rangers Jeff Glossop and Jesus Robles responded and found prescription pill containers, alcoholic beverages, and a suicide note inside the car. The rangers, assisted by park wildland firefighters, provided medical care. The woman was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Rangers credit Stone for preventing the woman's death. [Ben McKay, District Ranger, Mead District]
Rangers are searching for a boater who's been missing since Tuesday evening and was last seen in the water without a lifejacket near Callville Bay. He and two other men were boating just outside the bay, with two men in the boat and the third being towed on an inflatable raft. The man on the raft decided to come in, so his companions stopped the boat to pick him up. One of the men in the boat then jumped into the lake to pull the raft in. He needed assistance, so the boat driver jumped in as well. While they were in the water, both the boat and raft drifted away. The man who was on the inflatable was the only one with a lifejacket. He took it off to share, but by then the boat driver has drifted away. The park received a report about the three missing men around 7:30 p.m. and responded with two boats. Two of the men were rescued by a passing boat and brought in to Callville Bay. They were not injured. The search for the missing man continues. [Andrew S. Munoz, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers received a report of an assault at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor last September in which a woman had been assaulted with a metal pole and was bleeding profusely. While en route, they learned that it would be necessary to pass the scene of the assault to aid the woman, so a dog team was bought in to help rangers search the yacht for Sion Walsh, the woman's boyfriend and alleged assailant. Walsh was across the marina but heard the dog searching for him and surrendered to rangers. He received Miranda warnings, was interviewed, and signed a consent form allowing rangers to search the vessel. Evidence consistent with an assault was retrieved, including bloody clothing and metal skewers used in the attack. A grand jury subsequently returned two true bills against Walsh, which led to indictments for assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. After plea negotiations failed, a trial date was set. Walsh was found guilty of assault with bodily injury, but the jury couldn't agree on the second count. On June 10th, Walsh was sentenced to a prison term of four years and banned from Lake Mead NRA for five years. [Prashant Lotwala, Supervisory Park Ranger, Mead District]
A 20-year-old man was killed and his passenger injured in a high-speed accident that occurred during the early morning hours of Thursday, July 7th. The accident occurred sometime between 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. that morning as the two men were leaving the park. Speed and alcohol appear to have been factors. Containers of alcohol were found at the scene, and accident reconstruction indicates that the vehicle was traveling at over 75 mph in a 45 mph speed zone. The vehicle was found off the road and over a hill in a ravine. A park visitor reported seeing debris on the road at 4:36 a.m., but said that he didn't see a vehicle in the area. The wreckage was discovered by a National Park Service employee at 6 a.m. The two men were treated at the scene by Bullhead City Fire Department and transported by air to the hospital, but the driver did not survive. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
On the evening of Friday, August 5th, rangers learned that a man had disappeared while swimming in a cove in The Narrows. A search was begun that night and continued the next day. His body was found Saturday morning near the shoreline in about two feet of water, just east of The Narrows. The man and a friend had been boating and were heading back to shore when they decided to check out the cove. The man reportedly jumped into the water to swim and soon began screaming that he was drowning. His friend threw a rope to him, but the man was unable to grab it and disappeared. According to the man's friend, he was intoxicated and not wearing a lifejacket. A day later, on Sunday, August 7th, rangers received another report of a man who disappeared while swimming, this time on Lake Mohave. Within minutes of entering the water in Arizona Bay, the 20-year-old told a friend that he couldn't breathe, then went under. He wasn't wearing a life jacket. Efforts to find him have so far been unsuccessful. The water ranges from 80 to 100 feet deep in the area. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
A 49-year-old California man drowned while visiting Newberry Cove with his wife and friends on Sunday afternoon. Matthew Santistevan went wading in the lake after the group had beached their boat in the cove. His friends noticed he was missing a few minutes later and found him in six to ten feet of water. They pulled him ashore, began CPR and called the park via marine radio. Rangers and medics soon arrived. They continued CPR and employed advanced life saving techniques, but without success. Santistevan was not wearing a lifejacket. [Kevin Turner, Public Affairs Specialist]
D.S., 21, of Bullhead City, Arizona, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $9,995 in restitution for defacing petroglyphs with paint balls in the Grapevine Canyon area of the park. Grapevine Canyon is considered one of the most sacred places by Colorado River Indian tribes, and the sentence followed a two-hour hearing in which members of six different Colorado River Indian tribes addressed the court. D.S., who pled guilty to a charge of unlawful defacement of an archeological resource, a felony violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, was also ordered to serve a year of supervised release and to perform 50 hours of community service. Grapevine Canyon lies within the park just west of Laughlin, Nevada. The area contains over 700 petroglyphs and numerous rock shelters, and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. D.S. admitted that he passed signs at the entrance to the canyon saying that it contained cultural resources and that it was illegal to damage and deface them. He also admitted that he knew that the petroglyphs were important to Native Americans. D.S. used a fully automatic paint-ball gun and oil-based pellets to shoot at the petroglyphs. Approximately 38 areas containing petroglyphs were defaced, and hundreds of paint balls were scattered and recovered from the Canyon. A ranger investigated after receiving a report that people were in the canyon with spray paint. D.S. was with two other individuals, one of whom was a 12-year-old boy. Park staff, assisted by members of area tribes, removed the paint, but residue remains on the petroglyph panels. Colorado River tribes view the Grapevine Canyon area as sacred and believe it is the birthplace of many of their tribes. Archeologists believe that the area has been inhabited and used by humans for at least 1100 years. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
The body of a 19-year-old Las Vegas man who is believed to have drowned was recovered on Sunday afternoon by Las Vegas Metro Police Search and Rescue divers in about 12 feet of water at Echo Bay. Park staff had been searching for the man since he was reported missing by friends around 12:30 p.m. The missing man's friends told rangers that he was in ankle deep water when they last saw him. They say that they looked away from the water and that he was gone when they turned back. He wasn't wearing a life jacket. Rangers don't believe that alcohol played a role in the apparent drowning. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
On the afternoon of September 11th, E.C.-D., five, who was visiting the park with his family and others, was playing in shallow water on the lakeshore in the Government Wash area when he disappeared. Rangers were notified of the incident around 3 p.m., but the caller didn't know exactly where they were in the park. It took rangers about 35 minutes to locate them. Members of the party said that part of their group went off to another cove to fish and swim, leaving the boy with his mother. A man from the group returned and noticed that the boy wasn't around and he asked the mother if she knew where he was. It was at that point that they realized he might be underwater. The man donned goggles, began searching underwater, and located the boy's body minutes later. CPR was attempted but wasn't successful. Investigators believe the boy had been underwater between 20 and 40 minutes when found. "What is most tragic about this is that the mother had a life jacket for the boy," said ranger Prashant Lotwala. "She thought it wasn't needed because he wasn't in deep water and she could watch him." The Clark County Corner will determine the official cause of death. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
The National Park Service and Las Vegas Metro Police are investigating a shooting of a man and woman at Six Mile Cove. The woman was found dead at the scene, the man was alive but suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital by helicopter. Park dispatch received a 911 call from a visitor early yesterday reporting that the two people had been shot. Rangers and Metro and Nevada Highway Patrol officers responded and found the pair face down in the sand when they arrived. The preliminary investigation indicates that this was a murder/attempted murder. The investigation is ongoing. Six Mile Cove is located just under three miles south of Cottonwood Cove on the Nevada side of Lake Mohave. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
The police department in nearby Henderson, Nevada, contacted park dispatch on Sunday regarding a woman who'd left a suicide note in her house and headed out in a white SUV. Although the note didn't say where she was going, family members advised that she often went to Willow Beach Marina when depressed. Rangers searched the area and found her vehicle in the parking lot. She alive but unresponsive, with a .45 caliber semi-automatic in her lap. They broke the passenger-side window, secured the weapon, and got her out of the car. No gunshot wounds were found and evidence indicated that she'd instead taken an overdose of medication. The rangers provided medical care until a medevac helicopter arrived and flew her to a hospital. It was later determined that she'd ingested more than 40 Xanax pills and a handful of Excedrin PM pills. Doctors believe she will pull through. [Prashant Lotwala, Mead District Supervisory Park Ranger]
A tour helicopter operated by Sundance Helicopters crashed just before 5 p.m. yesterday on the western side of the River Mountains within the park. All five people on board were killed. The National Park Service, Las Vegas Metro Police, Clark County Fire and Henderson Fire responded to the initial call. The helicopter was on a tour flight from McCarran International Airport to Hoover Dam and crashed along a normal route take by tour helicopters. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are due to arrive on scene today. The identities of the deceased will not be released until the remains have been recovered and next of kin have been notified. Updates will be available on the park's Twitter site at HYPERLINK "http://www.twitter.com/lakemeadnra". A map showing the location of the crash site can be found at HYPERLINK "http://binged.it/s2JMKi". Operations will resume this morning; the first incident will be posted at 9 a.m. Pacific Time. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs]
The National Transportation Safety Board released additional details yesterday about the Las Vegas tour helicopter crash in the park that killed five. The agency described the wreckage as having been consumed by fire. The few remaining intact parts included the main and tail rotors. NPS rangers, wildland firefighters and special agents were involved in yesterday's operations, providing support to NTSB, FAA and Clark County Coroner investigators. The terrain required the use of NPS four-wheel drive utility vehicles to get investigators within a few hundred yards of the crash site; from there they were required to hike in. The remains of the five crash victims were recovered by the coroner's office and transported by park utility vehicle and park ambulance out of the area. The Clark County coroner said that positive identification will most likely have to be made through DNA testing. To protect the site, Superintendent Bill Dickinson issued a temporary closure order for a two-mile radius surrounding the crash site. Today, the park will continue its incident command operations in support of the NTSB investigation with helicopter and additional law enforcement support from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs]
Park dispatch received a report of a bus fully engulfed in flames near the high tension power lines at Hoover Dam on the afternoon of March 5th. Officers from Hoover Dam PD were able to get all the passengers off and move them to a safe location while rangers and firefighters from the park and Boulder City responded. Hoover Dam PD, Boulder City FD, the Nevada Highway Patrol and the NPS established a unified command and began efforts to suppress the blaze. Boulder City and park firefighters shared water and resources. Due to the lack of water in the area, the growing size of the fire, and threats to visitors and surrounding structures, park maintenance was called and workers responded with a water tanker. The fire was put out with no injuries or further damage incurred. [Prashant Lotwala, Supervisory Park Ranger, Mead District]
On July 7, 2011, Investigative Service Branch special agents were contacted regarding a sexual assault that occurred within the park. They interviewed the victim and two possible witnesses to the crime. The victim said that she was sleeping on the shoreline and awoke to find a man sexually assaulting her. A witness provided agents with an iPhone voice recording secretly taken of the man confessing to the crime after the fact. Based on these interviews as well as physical and digital evidence, the suspect was identified as 31-year-old E.M. of El Salvador. E.M. was subsequently indicted by a grand jury for sexual assault and abusive sexual contact and then arrested by ISB agents with the assistance of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers and Lake Mead rangers. On April 19th, E.M. pled guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact and received a sentence of 24 months in prison, followed by deportation back to El Salvador. [Brian Lake, Special Agent]
The local interagency dispatch center received a call regarding a missing toddler in the area of the Las Vegas boat harbor late on the morning of June 15th. Rangers responded and began searching the harbor by foot and water with the assistance of harbor employees. Divers found the child around noon. The toddler showed no signs of life and did not survive. The death is presumed to have been a drowning. [Randy Lavasseur]
The park received a report of a man missing in the waters of Boulder Basin on the afternoon of June 23rd. Rangers responded along with a volunteer team and personnel from the Nevada Division of Wildlife and the Coast Guard. The man had jumped out of a vessel to take a swim. The winds pushed the boat further and further from shore, though, and the woman and child still in the 21-foot boat didn't know how to operate it. They therefore called 911. Both were quickly rescued, but, despite of the rapidity of the response, the swimmer could not be found. A search was begun but proved fruitless. Side scan sonar is currently being utilized in an effort to find his body. The man was not wearing a life jacket. [Randy Lavasseur, Assistant Chief Ranger]
Due to monsoon weather on the Fourth of July, rangers responded to six vessel accidents, two disabled vessels, four EMS calls, and 13 visitor welfare checks. Two of the medical responses required advanced life support. One of them was the near drowning of a 19-year-old who went swimming without a personal flotation device. He began having trouble in the water and was about to go under when he was rescued by other visitors. He was going in and out of consciousness when rangers and Nevada Division of Wildlife personnel arrived; other symptoms included lack of a pulse, dilated pupils and foaming from his mouth. Rangers began CPR, restored his circulation, and continued airway maintenance with the assistance of Echo Bay Marina staff. He was later flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Throughout this weather event, rangers rescued over 40 visitors from Lake Mead waterways. [Randy Lavasseur]
On the morning of July 8th, dispatch received several 911 calls reporting that a man and a child had been found floating in the water about 25 yards off the shoreline of Six Mile Cove. Neither was wearing a PFD. They were brought to shore and CPR was begun. Rangers were on scene within 15 minutes and took over emergency medical care with the assistance of park medics. Despite their efforts and further attempts to resuscitate the child at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, neither the 36-year-old man nor his six-year-old son survived. [Randy Lavasseur, Assistant Chief Ranger]
A 20-year-old man who was swimming in Lake Mojave near Placer Cove late last Wednesday afternoon disappeared underwater. He was found and brought to shore and CPR was begun. The park was notified and responding rangers provided advanced emergency medical care. Despite their collective efforts, the man did not survive. He was not wearing a PFD. Placer Cove is a heavily visited area of the park with a lot of shoreline recreation. [Randy Lavasseur, Assistant Chief Ranger]
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]
Just before midnight on August 18th, the park received a marine band radio emergency call reporting a missing swimmer in Sandy Cove. A search was begun and continued until 3 a.m., then resumed again at daylight with the assistance of Las Vegas Metro PD's dive team. The body of the missing 46-year-old Las Vegas man was found in 30 feet of water shortly thereafter. He was not wearing a PFD. [Kevin Turner]
On the evening of August 20th, Boulder City PD contacted the park and asked for assistance in searching for a city resident who'd failed to return from a swim in the lake. Rangers looked for him, but without success. On Tuesday morning, Lake Mead Marina personnel reported what appeared to be a body floating about 20 feet from shore. Rangers recovered the body and turned it over to the county coroner. The victim matched the description of the missing person. [Kevin Turner]
Tropical Storm Isaac has moved into the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to become a hurricane shortly. Landfall is expected along the Louisiana-Mississippi coastline on Wednesday. Since last week and through this past weekend, Southeast Region has held daily hurricane planning teleconferences with forty or more participants, including all affected and potentially affected parks, key central office staff from WASO, SERO and NERO, the Eastern Incident Management Team, meteorologists and other principals. All necessary preparations have been made and actions taken. Here's how things stood as of late Sunday night: The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any park or parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled from IMT and park reports]
Ranger Greg Johnson was responding to a report of a vessel in need of assistance on the afternoon of August 24th when he came upon a jet ski without on an operator. As Johnson approached, he saw a man without a life jacket struggling in the water. After pulling the man from the water, Johnson recognized he was highly intoxicated. During the interview that followed, Johnson realized that there was more going on here than just a person operating a jet ski under the influence of alcohol. The man admitted that he'd tried to kill himself and that he'd been in the water for an extended period of time. Prior to launching his jet ski, the man had altered the safety cutoff switch and cord to his PWC and donned a backpack full of rocks, intending to jump off well out into the lake. When he jumped, he hit at such a high rate of speed that the backpack flew off. Johnson's immediate intervention is credited with saving this man's life. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
Around 3 a.m. on Sunday, September 2nd, park dispatch received an emergency call reporting that a man had disappeared while attempting to recover his fishing lure from the lake at Temple Bar. Rangers because a search for the victim, a 49-year-old man who'd been fishing from shore in the Temple Bar Marina area when his fishing lure became snagged on some vegetation. After several attempts to release it from the shore, he entered the water to free it. A short time later, witnesses reported hearing calls for help, splashing, then silence. Rangers found and recovered his body from about six feet of water. [Kevin Turner]
While on a scheduled run on the River Mountain loop trail in Boulder City on the morning of August 28th, wildland firefighter Todd Bates came upon a man lying at the top of a hill near a bike path. The man was not moving and was lying in a fetal position. Bates determined that he'd fallen off of his bike and sustained injuries; he dialed 911 and assisted the man until Boulder City paramedics arrived on scene. The man was transported to a hospital, where he will undergo surgery for his injuries, including fractured vertebrae and a shattered hand. Bates' quick reaction and medical skills are credited with saving this man's life. [Mary Hinson, Chief Ranger]
The park received an emergency call reporting a motorcycle accident on the Callville Bay access road on the morning of Sunday, September 23rd. Rangers found the 22-year-old operator 75 feet from the road and down an embankment. Efforts were made to revive him, but suspended after 40 minutes when a local paramedic pronounced him dead. Speed was evidently a contributing factor. The park and Nevada Highway Patrol are investigating. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A 48-year-old Utah man died of unknown causes last Saturday while scuba diving in the Black Canyon area of Lake Mead. Early that afternoon, park dispatch received a marine band radio call reporting a diver floating face down in the water. Rangers and Nevada Department of Wildlife wardens responded and began CPR, but they were unable to revive him. According to witnesses, the man was a mixed gas dive instructor who was diving with a group to depths of around 350 feet when he ran out of air. His dive partner shared a spare tank as the two began their ascent. At some point, the man separated from his safety line and made a free ascent without gas. The other divers ascended using normal decompression without incident. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 54-year-old man was found on the Arizona shoreline on October 4th. He was found near an inflatable kayak that was still inflated; a personal flotation device (lifejacket) was found on board, but was not on the man when he was discovered. No cause of death was readily evident. The park is investigating the county coroner's office is conducting an autopsy. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A 28-year-old Las Vegas man died on October 13th while cliff jumping near Wishing Well Cove in Lake Mead. Park dispatch received a call around 1 p.m. reporting that the man had been severely injured in a jump from the cliff and was unresponsive. His friends pulled him from the water and took him to Hemenway Harbor, where they were met by ranger/paramedics and state wardens. He was declared dead shortly thereafter. Preliminary reports indicate that alcohol and drug use were contributing factors. [Kevin Turner]
On the evening of January 1st, the Boulder City Police Department asked the park for assistance in the search for an 83-year-old Alzheimer's patient who had walked away from his residence and had been missing for approximately two hours. Family members and neighbors had tried to find him, but without success. The man was also reportedly suffering from the flu and was not properly dressed for the near freezing temperatures. Four rangers assisted in the search, including the park's canine team, a German shepherd named "Onyx" and his handler. "Onyx" tracked the man from his residence and through an urban area to a drainage ditch, where he was found unconscious. Although that area had previously been searched by family members, they were unable to see him due to the contour of the terrain. Rangers began an evaluation of his condition and the Boulder City Fire Department arrived soon thereafter. The man is expected to survive. "Onyx" is entering his fifth year of service as a member of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership Team (SNAP Team). "Onyx" continues to tirelessly support rangers at Lake Mead, and also assists the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Service with investigations on public lands throughout southern Nevada. "Onyx" also continues to provide unique outreach education to local school students, Lake Mead visitors, and partners. For more information about "Onyx" or canine programs, contact the canine team supervisor, Prashant Lotwala, at HYPERLINK "mailto:Prashant_Lotwala@nps.gov" Prashant_Lotwala@nps.gov. [Prashant Lotwala, Park Ranger]
A Nevada man was arrested in 2010 and prosecuted for heading a large scale operation that involved the illegal removal of copper wire from a major electrical service line within Lake Mead NRA. During the original investigation, special agents and rangers executed search warrants which resulted in the recovery of over 300 feet of heavy gauge copper electrical wire. A subsequent damage assessment indicated that the man and his accomplices had completely destroyed the electrical service line. He was ultimately convicted on one count of theft of government property (18 USC § 641) and was sentenced to five years of federal probation and ordered to pay $49,539.81 in restitution to the NPS. Earlier this month, in a blatant violation of his federal probation, the man was arrested for dismantling and stealing a railroad track outside of Jean, Nevada. He admitted that he had planned on selling the metal track parts as scrap for a profit. On March 14th, he was brought before a US District Court judge who revoked his probation and sentenced him to 14 months in prison amidst speculation that his reckless actions could have resulted in a catastrophic train derailment. A federal arrest warrant is still outstanding for a second man associated with the original case. Metal theft continues to be a significant threat to NPS resources in southern Nevada. [Investigative Service Branch - West]
A Las Vegas man died of unknown causes while scuba diving in the lake on June 1st. Park dispatch received several 911 calls reporting that the diver was in distress early that morning. The man was diving with a group in the Kingman Wash area just north of Hoover Dam when the accident occurred. Witnesses said that he was unresponsive when he surfaced. People on a nearby boat began CPR and took him to Hemenway Harbor, where emergency personnel from the park attempted unsuccessfully to revive him. The county medical examiner is investigating. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers and other emergency services personnel conducted a search and rescue operation for two men and four Boy Scouts in the White Rock Canyon area on Saturday, June 8th. One of the men, a 69-year-old Las Vegas resident, was found dead; the other man and four boys were found to be suffering from heat-related ailments. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office notified the park that the Boy Scouts were lost near Arizona Hot Springs early that afternoon. While rangers and fire personnel were searching for them, park dispatch received another call reporting that two men were suffering from heat stroke in the same area. The first man was found dead about a mile from an area trailhead; the second man was found about 20 minutes later and received advanced life support care at the scene before being flown out to a hospital. The four Boy Scouts were found late in the afternoon and were treated by paramedics at the trailhead. The park was under an excessive heat warning at the time of the incident. Temperatures throughout the park were near or above 110 degrees. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A search is underway for a 35-year-old Chicago man who was last seen in the water near Sentinel Island in Boulder Basin yesterday afternoon. Park dispatch received a call reporting that a man disappeared underwater after he'd jumped into the lake for a swim. About 10 people from the park and Las Vegas Boat Harbor began a search from the point where he was last seen, but efforts were soon suspended due to unsafe weather conditions. Winds were gusting to over 20 mph, blowing up three- to four-foot waves. The search will resume today. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A body was recovered on Monday in the area where a 30-year-old Las Vegas man disappeared while swimming the previous day. The man was reportedly swimming with friends in the Virgin Basin when he began struggling and disappeared. A thorough grid search was conducted that afternoon, but had to be called off due to high winds. Operations resumed on Monday morning and Las Vegas Metro PD divers found the man's body around 10 a.m. The park strongly encourages visitors to wear lifejackets while swimming, especially when high winds are forecast. [Christie Vanover, PAO]
Rangers dealt with several serious incidents last week, including two fatalities and multiple water rescues. Along with the previously reported HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=6648" search for a missing swimmer (still underway) and HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=6653" recovery of another missing swimmer's body, rangers responded to a report of overturned vessels in the Callville Bay area with their occupants in the water. Winds at the time of the incident were gusting to 35 mph and waves were from two- to four-feet high. Two people were rescued from the water and another two from the nearby shoreline. All four were wearing life jackets, which likely saved their lives. Immediately, after the above call, rangers rescued several more people from another overturned boat about ten miles away. The park has been advising visitors of the importance of wearing lifejackets while recreating on the lake, as the combination of alcohol, high winds and 105+ degree temperatures can quickly turn deadly. Rangers are currently gearing up for another busy weekend, with temperatures expected to reach up to 118 to 120 degrees. The National Weather service has issued excessive heat warning for the upcoming weekend. [Prashant Lotwala, Mead District Supervisory Park Ranger]
A man died of unknown causes, five people were treated for heat-related illness, and more than a dozen people were rescued in separate incidents last weekend. Temperatures during the period reached as high as 120 degrees at Lake Mohave, so rangers focused on educating visitors on the realities and dangers of high heat. A number of significant events occurred, some heat-related: On the afternoon of June 30th, a visitor told rangers that he'd seen a man wandering in the desert near Placer Cove Road. Four rangers and four wildland firefighters searched the area with the assistance of Las Vegas Metro PD SAR and found the man's body 30 feet down a ridge near Nelson Road around 8 p.m. The cause of death has not yet been determined. Five people were treated for heat-related systems and more than a dozen people were rescued from the lake by rangers, personnel from partner agencies, and bystanders, including an 18-year-old man who was rescued by visitors when he tried to swim from Government Wash to an island without a life jacket. Early on the morning of June 30th, park dispatch received a marine band call reporting that several people on a houseboat near Temple Bar were suffering from possible carbon monoxide poisoning. Rescuers soon arrived on scene and assessed the medical conditions of a dozen people. Five were medevaced by air to area hospitals, four were transported by ambulance, and three were treated and released. Dispatch received numerous reports of a vessel fire on the north side of the Boulder Islands on the afternoon of June 30th. Visitors on another boat rescued the two people who were on board, who were uninjured. Responding emergency personnel extinguished the fire. The National Weather Service has extended the excessive heat warning for the area until late tomorrow night. Highs are again forecast to exceed 110 degrees. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A search is underway for a 23-year-old North Las Vegas man who was last seen in the water about a mile north of Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mohave on Sunday, August 4th. Witnesses said he and two others jumped off a boat to go swimming and that the boat then drifted away. Passengers on board were able to rescue two swimmers, but the third was not found. The missing man was not wearing a lifejacket. A search was immediately begun from the point where he was last seen. Efforts were suspended around 8:30 p.m., when it became dark. The search resumed on Monday morning. About 15 people from the National Park Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue searched the area using side scan sonar and divers. The lake is 50 to 60 feet deep at the point where the man was last seen. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A man's body was recovered last Sunday from a spot on Lake Mohave where a North Las Vegas man disappeared while swimming the previous weekend. A park visitor called dispatch at 6 a.m. and reported that he'd discovered the body floating on the lake near Cottonwood Cove. D.S., 23, disappeared about a mile north of the cove after going for a swim on August 4th. The National Park Service, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue and Nevada Department of Wildlife conducted several unsuccessful surface and underwater searches for the missing man at that time. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
On Sunday, August 25th, rangers at Katherine's Landing responded to a report from a concerned citizen of a vehicle parked on the side of the road approximately a mile from the entrance station with a woman near the vehicle holding her arm and crying and a man walking away from her. When the first ranger arrived on scene, both were back in the vehicle, but the woman got out and ran to the patrol vehicle in an effort to get away from the man. The second ranger soon arrived. It took the efforts of both rangers to calm her down enough to determine that the man was armed with a knife and that he'd struck and bit her numerous times. Additional rangers and an NPS paramedic were called to the scene to assist with the woman and tend her injuries. Other rangers conducted a felony takedown and took the man into custody with little incident. A large folding knife was found on his person during the search incident to arrest. During the course of the investigation, rangers learned that the man had bitten, hit and attempted to strangle the woman. They photographed both the scene and the woman's injuries. She was taken to the Western Arizona Regional Medical Center for further evaluation. The man was arrested and charged with a number of violations, including simple assault, domestic strangulation (under the new 18 USC assault law), and DUI. He was transported to Flagstaff to await initial appearance. On September 4th, the man pleaded guilty to the Class A misdemeanor assault charge and to DUI. He was sentenced to 90 days in prison, a year's supervised probation, fines, and year's ban from Lake Mead NRA. The assistant U.S. attorney noted that the woman was present at the man's side during the plea and sentencing hearing, though she concurred with the agreement. [Brandon Marsmaker, Supervisory Park Ranger]
A Las Vegas man died of unknown causes while swimming in a triathlon in the park on Saturday, October 19th. A kayaker who was patrolling the event at Boulder Beach that morning flagged down rangers who were nearby on a National Park Service patrol boat. When the rangers arrived, the swimmer was found to be unresponsive. CPR was begun and he was taken by ambulance to Boulder City Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Clark County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A 65-foot yacht sank while slipped at Temple Bar Marina on Lake Mead last Friday. The 1996 Skipperliner, reportedly owned by singer Wayne Newton, began taking on water around 9:30 a.m. and sunk within minutes. Nobody was on board and no injuries were reported. The boat is partially submerged in 45 foot deep water. Vessel Assist, out of Lake Havasu City, will salvage the boat later this week. No hazardous waste has been observed at this time. Initial assessments indicate that an equipment failure may have caused the accident. Rangers are investigating the incident. For a related news story, click on this link: HYPERLINK "http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/wayne-newtons-yacht-sinks-lake-mead" [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
On June 27, 2012, special agents from the Investigative Services Branch arrested 60-year-old J.E.K. of Blandon, Pennsylvania, on eight felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. The charges stemmed from a six-month-long investigation by agents. J.E.K., a former concession employee at Lake Mead, was taken into custody for sexually abusing three victims who ranged in age from 8 to 13 years old over a five year period. On December 10th, J.E.K. pled guilty to one count of sexual abuse and accepted a plea deal consisting of 14 years in prison and lifetime probation when released. [Investigative Services Branch]
On February 20th, the park was advised that three men who'd gone on a multi-day boating trip on the park had failed to call in as planned the previous night. A search was begun, and their capsized 1977 Glastron boat was found on the lake the next morning. The body of one of the missing men was found a half mile north of the vessel. A land, water and air search for the other two men continues. The search team this past weekend consisted of four National Park Service vessels with rangers and side scan sonar, a Nevada Department of Wildlife vessel, and Metro Air and Civil Air Patrol aircraft. Around 40 Red Rock Search and Rescue volunteers combed seven miles of land on both sides of the shore. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
The last weekend in March was a very busy one for rangers at Lake Mead: On Saturday, March 29th, weather forecasts called for temperatures near 80 degrees with winds gusting to 40 mph within the Lake Mead area, but lake water temperatures remained below 60 degrees at the surface. Based upon the weather forecast and the cool water temperatures, rangers conducted marine patrols focusing on boaters who might have been unprepared for the conditions. During those patrols, they were involved in several incidents that resulted in lives saved: On one patrol, rangers encountered a small 10-foot inflatable raft far from the swimming area near Boulder Beach. The occupants appeared to be in distress and were being pushed further offshore by the strong winds. When contacted, they told rangers that they had planned to stay within 50 yards of shore but were soon taken further out into the lake. They had no means of communication, food, water or life jackets. All three were brought to the beach safely by the patrol vessel. Shortly after this call, rangers saw an unoccupied personal watercraft (PWC) floating on the north side of the Boulder Islands. As they began searching for people in the water, they came upon occupants of another nearby vessel waving their arms. At the same time, the Lake Mead Interagency Communications Center received a call from the people on the vessel stating that a man had been in the water for over an hour and that they were unable pull him on board. Rangers found the man in the water, wearing a life jacket. He was conscious but confused and unable to move his arms or legs. They brought him on board their vessel and took him to a waiting NPS ambulance that transported him to an area hospital. He said that he was operating the PWC when he fell off and was unable to get back on. After 30 minutes in the water, he was unable to hold onto the PWC and after approximately 45 minutes in the water, the Good Samaritan vessel came by and called 911. While bringing the PWC operator to shore, rangers saw two stand-up paddle boards near the Boulder Islands with two juveniles on each board. Only two of the four were wearing life jackets and all were exhausted from paddling. They were assisted back to a nearby marina. Their parents were located at a marina restaurant having dinner. The parents did not know that the juveniles had taken the boards out. Despite the warm air temperatures in the Lake Mead area, the lake is still very cold. Rangers are urging visitors to exercise caution when boating in these types of conditions, as any time spent in the water will quickly result in hypothermia. Research shows that any unexpected immersion will result in an immediate shock to the system that can take at least a minute to recover from. After that, people in the water have approximately ten minutes of purposeful movement and will be suffering from severe hypothermia within an hour. Rangers are also reminding visitors to wear lifejackets whenever they are out on the lake and to check the weather forecast prior to coming to the park. [Mark Hnat, Mead District Ranger]
A search is underway for a missing 45-year-old man who was last seen in Lake Mead near Castle Reef in Boulder Basin last Saturday. Park dispatch received a 911 call that afternoon reporting that the man had disappeared underwater and that he'd been struggling while swimming. He was not wearing a lifejacket. The park and Nevada Department of Wildlife began an immediate search from the point where he was last seen. Around7:15 p.m., efforts were suspended due to unsafe weather conditions. Winds were gusting at 20-30 miles per hour. Search efforts resumed on Sunday and continued yesterday. The incident is under investigation. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Last Sunday proved a challenging day for park staff, who were involved in 15 significant incidents, including a death, numerous rescues, medical emergencies and near drownings. Reports on several of them follow: A 12-year-old boy nearly drowned at Cottonwood East on Lake Mohave. A bystander provided immediate life-saving care and took the boy to a hospital. Paramedics from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office located them en route shortly thereafter and began providing care. The boy was transported to Kingman, Arizona, and was later flown to Sunrise Hospital in Nevada in critical condition. He was not wearing a life jacket. Rangers rescued a five-year-old girl from drowning at Special Events Beach on Lake Mead. The girl was playing on a knee board when the wind carried her approximately 200 yards from shore and blew her off the board. Two bystanders attempted to rescue her but were flipped off of their personal watercraft. A ranger reached her just as she went under and grasped her about four feet underwater. She was transported to a nearby hospital by Mercy Air in fair condition. Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens rescued the two bystanders, who had no reported injuries. The National Weather Service reported 20 to 30 mile per hour wind gusts at the time of the incident. The girl was not wearing a life jacket. A 23-year-old man was rescued along Gold Strike Canyon Trail after being injured while hiking. He was treated on scene and carried a mile and a half to the trailhead with the assistance of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue personnel and taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. A 30-year-old man from Mexico City was killed in an apparent motor vehicle accident. Around 3 p.m., dispatch received a call from a visitor who found him near a motor vehicle on Northshore Road. Rangers and Nevada Highway Patrol officers responded and determined that he'd evidently been involved in a single-car accident. He was not wearing a seatbelt. Speed appears to have been a contributing factor. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers received a report from a visitor regarding a vehicle that appeared to be disabled on Lake Shore Drive late on the morning of June 14th. The vehicle's lone occupant had attempted to give the visitor a package, telling him not to open it but that someone would find him. When the visitor refused to take it, the man began shouting at him and went into his trailer. Responding rangers found a pickup truck pulling a Toy Hauler type trailer. Shortly after they arrived on scene, the man began to act strangely, went back into the trailer, refused to come back out, and began shouting obscenities at rangers. A computerized check on the man revealed that he'd been arrested a few days earlier by the Nye County Sheriff's Office for DUI and resisting an officer with a deadly weapon. Due to the unknown contents of the package and the man's history, the road was closed until the incident could be resolved. The man then began to enter and exit the trailer, changing his clothes several times and throwing things into the desert. Rangers, including the park K9 patrol unit, approached, subdued and arrested him. The package was found to contain a book of religious writings. The man was arrested and charged with multiple violations. He is currently detained pending a status hearing in July. [Mark Hnat, Mead District Ranger]
Rangers responded to several structural fires during the ten-day period from May 31st to June 9th. May 31st - Rangers received a report of a boat fire in the Callville Bay Marina around 6 p.m. and responded via patrol vehicle and engine. They also requested support from the nearby Henderson Fire Department. The houseboat was removed from the slip and brought out into the main channel, where park firefighters and concession employees suppressed the blaze. The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical in nature. June 1st - Just before noon, rangers were notified of smoke in the Six Mile Cove area near Cottonwood Cove. Rangers responded via patrol vehicle and two engines. The fire was found to be in a dumpster which had been ignited by a BBQ grill that had been discarded. NPS units suppressed the fire. June 3rd - Park firefighters and volunteers from the nearest county fire station responded to a report of a trailer fully engulfed in flame at the Cottonwood Cove Trailer Village. They found that it was actually a dumpster on fire. The blaze was extinguished. June 4th - Rangers received a report of a vehicle fire on the Callville Bay Access Road just after 10 p.m. and responded via patrol vehicle and engine along with an engine from Henderson Fire Department. They found a pickup fully engulfed in flames and suppressed the blaze. Investigation revealed that the truck had recently been stolen from North Las Vegas. June 7th - A vessel fire was reported near Sandy Cove around 11 a.m. Rangers quickly learned that the fire had been extinguished by the occupants and was being towed to Callville Bay. Rangers and state game wardens investigated the incident. June 9th - Another vessel fire was reported, this time at Katherine's Landing Marina. The fire was suppressed by the concessioner's fireboat. Damage was limited to the involved boat as it was removed from the slip quickly by concession employees. Rangers investigated the incident. June 9th - That same afternoon, rangers came upon a vehicle fully engulfed in flames on Northshore Road. Additional rangers responded as well as Henderson Fire Department. The fire was suppressed by firefighters. The occupant of the vehicle was treated by NPS paramedics for smoke inhalation and transported to a local hospital. The cause appears to have been accidental. [Mark Hnat, Mead District Ranger/Park Structural Fire Coordinator]
On the morning of June 23rd, park dispatch received a call reporting a head-on collision on Northshore Road. Emergency personnel from the park and Henderson Fire Department responded. They found that one man had been killed in the accident and that two others had been injured. Both were flown to area hospitals by Mercy Air. The Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. [Christie Vanover]
On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 18th, dispatch received a phone call from the park museum reporting an asthma emergency. The initial call was for one boy, traveling with a large group, who was reported to be barely breathing. Rangers soon arrived on scene and began treating him. While doing so, three more members of the same group began experiencing severe asthma-related breathing difficulties. Park Medic Mitchell Hauptman, Rangers Marcia Leastman and Brian Starkey, and fire EMTs Cristy Brown and Nancy Peters provided primary EMS care. Park staff from all divisions assisted with additional patient care, maintaining the helicopter LZ, and traffic management. Careflight 3 made two trips to Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez, Colorado, while Mancos Ambulance transported the additional two patients with the park medic on board. Park staff believe that the simultaneous severe breathing incidents may have been brought on by a combination of elevation, exertion, and dusty conditions. Since all members of the group had experienced similar environmental conditions, the entire group was seen as potential patients and monitored for complications. Supervisory Ranger Andrew Blake acted as incident IC. [Catherine Lyons]
Rangers dealt with a drowning and a near-drowning on Lake Mohave on Sunday, June 15th. The first incident occurred at Cabinsite Point. A 37-year-old man was swimming across the cove there to retrieve an inflatable raft for his daughter when he began to struggle and subsequently disappeared underwater. He was not wearing a life jacket. Local divers who were training in the area recovered his body approximately 40 feet below the surface. CPR was begun, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at Western Arizona Regional Medical Center. Later in the day, rangers received a call concerning a possible drowning at Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mohave. An 18-year-old had swum approximately 50 yards from shore when he began having difficulty in the choppy waters and started shouting for help. He was reportedly submerged for a minute before two visitors on a jet ski pulled him onboard and took him to shore. Witnesses on shore notified the NPS within minutes of the incident. Rangers and medics arrived and were able to successfully treat him. He also was not wearing a life jacket. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 36-year-old Las Vegas, who disappeared in the lake near Callville Bay Marina on the evening of Wednesday, July 2nd, was found by divers in 15 feet of water the following afternoon. The park received the initial call just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The caller reported that the man fell off the front of a boat and disappeared underwater. Rangers and concessions security personnel responded and began an immediate search from the point where he was last seen. The search resumed on Thursday with the assistance of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Search and Rescue Dive Team. Witnesses reported that the man had been drinking and wasn't wearing a life jacket. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers and other first responders conducted numerous search and rescue operations at Lake Mead yesterday afternoon after a thunderstorm struck the Boulder Basin. The storm began around 3:45 p.m. and created five-foot waves and reports of eight-foot swells. Park dispatch received more than 70 distress calls from boaters, 11 of whom required rescue. As of late last night, all had reportedly made it to land, but one group of four remained unaccounted for. Rangers had contact with them and confirmed their GPS coordinates, which were within walking distance of Callville Bay Marina. Rangers made repeated attempts to reconnect with them to make sure they made it to safety, but cellphone calls were not answered. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue conducted aerial searches around the area but could not locate the group. If rangers don't hear from them by this morning, the search will continue. A woman in her 30s was rescued around 8 p.m. in the middle of the lake after treading water without a life jacket for more than three hours. She was on a personal watercraft and decided to take her life jacket off to go swimming just before the storm hit. She was rescued, treated and released. Her husband and stepson were rescued earlier in the evening. The remaining individuals who were rescued were wearing their life jackets. At least one vessel sank and others had to be towed back to the marina. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A 28-year-old Las Vegas woman died and a Las Vegas man was injured in a rollover motor vehicle accident on Lakeshore Road late on the evening of Saturday, July 12th. Emergency crews from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Henderson Police Department, Henderson Fire Department and Nevada Highway Patrol responded to the scene. The woman was flown to a nearby hospital by Mercy Air and later died. The Clark County medical examiner will determine the cause of death and confirm her identity after next of kin have been notified. The man was taken to a nearby hospital via Community Ambulance. The road was closed in both directions for nearly five hours. The Nevada Highway Patrol and the National Park Service are investigating the accident. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
On July 20th, rangers rescued two visitors and searched for two swimmers who are still missing. Around 11 a.m., dispatch received a 911 call reporting that a woman was having difficulty breathing while hiking in White Rock Canyon. Rangers located her and hiked her out to safety. She refused medical assistance. Shortly thereafter, a visitor notified a ranger that a person was missing at Lake Mohave south of Willow Beach. Later reports indicated that a man had jumped off a boat to go swimming and was last seen going underwater. Rangers are continuing to search the area with the assistance of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue Dive Team. Around 2 p.m., a 911 call came in reporting a near drowning at Ski Cove on Lake Mohave. Rangers and medics responded. The man was flown to a Las Vegas hospital by Mercy Air, where he is expected to recover. Twenty minutes later, dispatch received another 911 call, this one reporting that a man went missing while swimming near Boulder Islands on Lake Mead. Rangers, Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens and members of the Metro Search and Rescue Dive Team are searching for him. All incidents are under investigation. In the water-related cases, none of the victims was wearing a life jacket. Winds were gusting between 20-30 miles per hour throughout the afternoon. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 30-year-old Las Vegas man who disappeared while swimming on Tuesday was recovered from Lake Mead around 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening. D.G. had jumped from a houseboat to swim to shore with others. When everyone got to shore, they noticed he was missing. An interagency search ensued. Around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, family members who were searching the area with snorkel gear discovered what they thought was a body underwater. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue Dive Team recovered D.G.'s body, which was about 13 feet underwater and 75 feet from shore. He was not wearing a life jacket. The Clark County medical examiner will determine the cause of death. Meanwhile, the search continues for two other swimmers who went missing on July 20th. A 53-year-old Las Vegas man was last seen going underwater south of Willow Beach on Lake Mohave. Rangers continue to patrol the area by air and boat. Crews are also looking for a 25-year-old Las Vegas man who was last seen going underwater near the Boulder Islands on Lake Mead. Volunteers from Earth Resource Group are planning to help with the search next week, using advanced underwater search equipment. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Around 5 p.m. on July 24th, park dispatch received a call reporting that a man was struggling in the water near Nelson's Landing on Lake Mohave. Rangers responded by boat and found the man floating motionless, holding onto a kayak. The man said he was trying to swim across to the Arizona shoreline when the wake of a personal watercraft threw him from his kayak. He claimed he became separated from his life jacket, but no life jacket was found. He also claimed he was floating for around 30 minutes and that no bystanders offered to help. Witnesses said he was floating in the water for between one and one-and-a-half hours and that an individual tried to rescue him, but that he refused assistance. They also said they did not see him wearing a life jacket. Winds were 10 to 15 mph, creating six- to twelve-inch waves. Attempting to cross the lake while holding on to a kayak with no life jacket available was extremely hazardous to both the man and to boaters operating in the area. The man ended up more than a quarter mile north of his starting location and approximately 300 yards from shore. Over the course of the preceding three days, three swimmers drowned in the park. None of them was wearing a life jacket. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Three roads have been closed within the park due to recent flash floods: HYPERLINK "https://goo.gl/maps/G2OIG" Kingman Wash Access Road, a dirt road in Arizona that leads to Lake Mead, is washed out. It was closed Monday morning. HYPERLINK "https://goo.gl/maps/0vpB0" Temple Bar Access Road, a main road in Arizona that leads to Temple Bar Marina on Lake Mead, is impassible. Flood water is flowing across the road through the Detrital Wash. HYPERLINK "https://goo.gl/maps/pTXxm" Nevada State Route 165, which leads to Nelson's Landing and Placer Cove, has been closed at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area boundary due to flooding and road degradation. According to the National Weather Service, .68 inches of rain was recorded Sunday night at the Lake Mead Visitor Center off of U.S. 93 in Boulder City. More rain was forecast for yesterday afternoon. Caution is urged on three other roads that remain open: HYPERLINK "https://goo.gl/maps/XZxa4" Willow Beach Access Road, a main road in Arizona that leads to Willow Beach Marina on Lake Mohave, was closed around 1 a.m. yesterday but reopened later in the morning after crews removed debris. HYPERLINK "https://goo.gl/maps/6Sj4D" Northshore Road and Lakeshore Road, the main roads in Nevada that travel around Lake Mead, are open but have some gravel and debris on them from flood waters. Crews are working to restore access at all of the closed locations. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Two bodies have been recovered in areas where two men disappeared while swimming on July 20th. On the afternoon of August 1st, park dispatch received a call from a visitor who reported seeing a body floating on Lake Mohave. Responding rangers recovered the body of an adult male from the Nevada shoreline. A 53-year-old Las Vegas man was reported missing near that location on July 20th after jumping off his boat to go swimming. He was not wearing a lifejacket. On August 4th, volunteers from Earth Resource Group employing advanced underwater detection equipment found a body 340 feet underwater near Lake Mead's Boulder Islands. Rangers and state game wardens recovered it. A 25-year-old Las Vegas man was reported missing in this area after going swimming without a lifejacket on July 20th. Both incidents are under investigation. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
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]
Rangers are searching for a missing 31-year-old Southern California man who was last seen in the water near Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mohave. Just after noon on Saturday, August 16th, the park received a report that the man had jumped off a boat into the water, had begun struggling, and soon disappeared underwater. Witnesses said the victim was not wearing a life jacket. Rangers, Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens and employees from the nearby marina immediately began searching for the missing man, who is believed to be around 100 yards from the shoreline in an area that is 80 to 100 feet deep. The water in the area is usually clear, but visibility is currently very limited due to recent storms, making the search more challenging. Crews are continuing to search the area. The incident is under investigation. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A body has been recovered near Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mohave in an area where a man disappeared on August 16th. On the afternoon of August 24th, visitor reported seeing a body floating near Cottonwood Cove. Rangers responded and recovered a man's body. A 31-year-old Southern California man was reported missing near this area after jumping off a boat without a lifejacket on August 16th. The National Park Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife have been searching for him ever since. The Clark County medical examiner will confirm the victim's identity and determine the cause of death. The incident is under investigation. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
Early on the afternoon of October 1st, rangers responded to a call of a man's body floating off North Swim Beach at Cottonwood Cove and found the body of 27-year-old D.A.-G. within the beach's buoy line. He appeared to have a large contusion on the back of his head. During the autopsy, the Clark County coroner listed the death as suspicious and asked Las Vegas Metro Homicide to follow up on the case. D.A.-G.'s wallet, paycheck, keys and truck were missing from the crime scene. Detectives reported that the truck was stolen and an officer found it parked in front of a home in Las Vegas four days later. After finding out about the report the next day, the officer returned to the Las Vegas home and again saw the vehicle, according to the report. As the officer was completing paperwork to have it towed, a man, identified as 18-year-old E.L.-M. came outside and told the officer he was the truck's owner. He was then arrested and found to have D.A.-G.'s identification card and paycheck in his possession. During an interview with detectives, E.L.-M. said he, D.A.-G.'s ex-girlfriend, 20-year-old J.M.-A., and 18-year-old B.M. decided to kill the victim after he would not leave J.M.-A. alone. The trio met up with D.A.-G. and the group went to the lake. He said that the group was drinking and arguing, which escalated to a fight. B.M. picked up a rock and hit the victim in the back of the head, and he then fell to the ground. E.L.-M. said he helped B.M. put D.A.-G.' body in the lake. J.M.-A. told a similar story to detectives, but said she heard a loud noise at the lake and turned around to find D.A.-G. lying on the ground. She said the victim then stood back up, and E.L.-M. asked her if he should kill him. She replied, "If you want to kill him, kill him." She said E.L.-M. and B.M. took the victim into the water and held him under. B.M. also told detectives a story similar to J.M.-A.'s version. All three were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary. E.L.-M. was also charged with murder with a deadly weapon. Additionally, J.M.-A. and B.M. were charged with murder with a weapon, robbery with a weapon and conspiracy to commit burglary. All three are being held at the Clark County Detention Center. [Warren Schlesinger, Park Ranger]
A body has been recovered in Placer Cove on Lake Mohave where a teen disappeared on April 1st after jumping from a cliff. Rangers began searching the area around 12:30 p.m. after witnesses said a teen jumped from a cliff to help a swimmer below. The swimmer made it to safety, but witnesses said the teen was seen going underwater. Rangers located the body underwater using sonar and called in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue Dive Team for support. The dive team recovered the body. The Clark County Medical Examiner will confirm the victim's identity and determine the cause of death. The incident is under investigation. [Public Affairs Office]
On April 13th, the Lake Mead Interagency Communications Center received a 911 call from a visitor at Boulder Beach who said that he'd seen a man repeatedly punching and kicking his female passenger immediately after they arrived at the beach and exited their vehicle. An immediate response was initiated by NPS PWR SETT Team 2 and members from other teams in the region who were on assignment and integrated with Lake Mead ranger staff at the time of the call. The man continued to beat the woman until she was unconscious, then started dragging her to the water, where he proceeding to hold her head underwater. Rangers and other units arrived on scene and stopped the murder within moments of the initial call. They took the assailant into custody without incident, and paramedics started immediate care of the woman and her two-week-old child. Prior to the woman being beaten, the man had dropped her two-week-old child on the ground. He was intoxicated at the time of the incident. The child was released to grandparents and is doing well. The woman had aspirated some water and had several blunt force trauma wounds. She is in stable condition at this time. The man is in custody awaiting his initial appearance. He has a recent history of violence and abuse. If it wasn't for the swift and well-coordinated efforts of the regional SETT team, park rangers and dispatchers, the woman likely would have been dead moments later. [Adam Kelsey, Chief Ranger]
Three pipe bombs were discovered underwater in Lake Mohave on Monday and were made safe without incident. Around 2 p.m. on Sunday, park dispatch received a call from a visitor who reported seeing two suspicious looking pipes in the water near Turkey Cove south of Katherine Landing on Lake Mohave. The park temporarily closed the area as a precaution. On Monday, park employees, supported by Hoover Dam police, searched the area and found the three devices. Bomb squad technicians from the Kingman Police Department and Arizona Department of Public Safety utilized a disruptor to render the devices safe. The contents of the pipe bombs are still under investigation. The area has reopened. Rangers and Kingman Police Department officers are investigating the incident. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms has been notified. [Public Affairs Office]
The pilot of a small plane carrying three passengers made an emergency landing near Lake Mead yesterday with only minor injuries to the occupants. Just after 5 a.m., park dispatch received a call reporting that a small aircraft had landed at Special Events Beach along Boulder Beach. Rangers and personnel from the Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Community Ambulance responded. The pilot was flying his three passengers from North Las Vegas to El Paso. The three women, all from the El Paso area, were visiting Las Vegas for the weekend. Two were treated for minor injuries, but none of them were taken to the hospital. According to the passengers, the plane's engine stopped running over the mountains along the eastern side of the Boulder Basin. The passengers said the pilot circled back toward Boulder City to avoid landing in the mountains or on the water. They said the plane glided to a landing on Boulder Beach. The aircraft, a 1979 Piper PA-32R-301 (also known as a Cherokee 6), landed on the beach between two portable restrooms. No facilities were damaged, and it doesn't appear that there are any fuel leaks from the aircraft. A portion of Special Events Beach will remain temporarily closed until the aircraft can safely be removed and the investigation by the FAA, National Transportation Safety Board and the park can be completed. [Public Affairs Office]
A man and a boy who entered a mine near Ore Car Mine off North Shore Road last Friday were unable to exit due to a rattlesnake blocking their path and called for help. Rangers responded along with personnel from BLM, Henderson FD and Las Vegas Metro PD SAR. The pair were successfully extricated. [Public Affairs Office]
Rangers are searching for a man who was last seen in the water in the Boulder Basin of Lake Mead. On the afternoon of July 5th, park dispatch received a call from a person who reported that a man had jumped off a boat into the water and failed to resurface. Witnesses said he was wearing a lifejacket, but it came off when he jumped into the water. Rangers, Coast Guard personnel, and Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens responded and began searching for the missing man, who is believed to be about a half mile from the shoreline in an area that is 80 to 160 feet deep. Crews are continuing to search the area. The incident is under investigation. [Public Affairs Office]
The body of a 17-year-old boy from North Las Vegas was recovered from Lake Mohave on July 1st. The boy went underwater while swimming across Morning Star Cove on the previous afternoon and failed to resurface. He was with a group of friends who were cliff jumping in the Placer Cove area who'd decided to try to swim across Morning Star Cove to another cliff about 50 yards away. The teen started having difficulties. Two other friends took turns trying to help him to safety, but they could not hold on and he went underwater. Rangers conducted an immediate search. Using sonar, search crews located what they believed to be the body around 7:30 p.m. on June 30th. Since there is little to no visibility underwater at night, the search was postponed until daylight. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue divers located the body underwater late on the morning of July 1st. He was not wearing a life jacket. [Public Affairs Office]
A woman sustained life-threatening injuries in a boating accident near Callville Bay on Lake Mead on the morning of July 15th. Witnesses said two boats were pulling into a wakeless area near Sandy Beach when one boat hit the other from behind. The boat that was hit was carrying three occupants. A woman sustained life-threatening injuries and was flown by Mercy Air to a hospital; a man was treated for minor injuries. The other occupant of the boat and the operator of the second boat were not hurt. The incident is under investigation. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A husband and wife in their 70s were out on a small bass fishing boat all day on July 8th and returning from the Cottonwood area in the evening when the husband, who was operating the boat, began having difficulty seeing in the fading light. He decided to try to put ashore for the night at Chili Pepper Cove on Lake Mohave. When he got out of the boat, he inadvertently knocked it away and out of his reach. His wife tried to throw him a line without success. The wind, blowing at 15 to 25 knots all day, immediately took her away from her spouse, who attempted to swim back to the boat. The wife threw him a PFD, which she said hit the water, though she was unsure if her husband was able to retrieve it. The wife was located a couple of hours later about two miles northwest of where she last saw her husband. Nearly inconsolable, she was not wearing a PFD and the only PFD on board was of questionable service. A search was started for the husband with the wife aboard the ranger boat in the area she seemed to recognize. The husband was found on the shore in the cove, yelling for assistance. He was wet, cold and stated that he was planning on making a shelter for the night and waiting until the morning to flag down help. The PFD that was thrown to him by his wife was in the same poor condition as the one found aboard their boat. At the request of rangers the couple voluntarily surrendered their old PFD's for new ones supplied through the "Ready, Set, Wear It" program. Once back at the dock, the husband declined further medical assessment, while his wife was overcome by the emotions of the event and nearly fainted. He said that he had Type IV PFDs (throwable), flares, and a marine band radio on board, none of which were known to the wife. Nor did she know how to use them. Rangers suggest that a safety briefing is given to all occupants of a vessel by the operator prior to departing on the water. This briefing should include how to locate and use all safety equipment aboard the boat. Rangers also remind visitors not to jump from moving vessels or in windy conditions that will not permit them to stay with their boat, and to wear their lifejackets while on the water. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
A man driving a Ford Ranger pickup intentionally drove through a guard rail and went over a cliff and into Lake Mohave immediately east of the Davis Dam Bridge early on the morning of July 7th. Bullhead City Police Department officers responded and requested assistance from rangers. They reported that the man swam into the dam holding basin and was refusing to come to shore. With the assistance of Bureau of Reclamation security and staff, rangers and Bullhead City police officers were able to access the holding basin, which is barricaded off from vessels. The man was using a piece of foam to hold himself above water but refused to go to shore. He was brought onto the ranger vessel without incident approximately one hour after he entered the water. He was transported by vessel and was treated for hypothermia and transported to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center. Bullhead City Police Department and Lake Mead National Recreation Area are investigating the incident. [Christie Vanover, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of July 25th, park dispatch received a call reporting that a visitor had been cut by a boat propeller near Cactus Cove. The Nevada Department of Wildlife and Arizona Game and Fish were first on scene and pronounced the man dead upon arrival. According to witnesses, the boat's operator accidentally put the boat in reverse and ran over the victim. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department dive team was called in to assist with the recovery. The National Park Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife are investigating the incident. [Public Affairs Office]
The bodies of a man and woman from Golden Valley, Arizona, were found near Greggs Hideout in Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Sunday, August 2nd. Park dispatch received a call just before 5 p.m. reporting that bodies of the two people were found in a minivan by a third party who was passing through. Mohave County Sheriff's Office deputies and National Park Service rangers responded and located the pair in a minivan that was stuck in the dirt on Salt Spring Wash Road. They appeared to have died from environmental exposure. Only two bottles of water were found at the scene and there was no cell phone coverage in the area. The Mohave County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and confirm the victims' identities. The incident is under investigation. [Public Affairs Office]
Seven people were injured in a two-vehicle accident on Lakeshore Road on the afternoon of Saturday, July 22nd. Two of the injured were transported in critical condition. The other five had nonlife-threatening injuries. The National Park Service, Boulder City Fire Department, Nevada Highway Patrol, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Mercy Air and Community Ambulance responded. Source: News story, KSNV Las Vegas.
Heavy rains from several storms on July 25th caused flooding in the park and necessitated multiple road closures. During this string of storms, the park set up an incident command to dispatch personnel to areas where responses were needed. The park's pilot flew over the park to quickly locate washed out roads and areas where visitors were present. According to the National Weather Service, Willow Beach received 4.72 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. The access road was closed around 7:30 a.m. Around 20 visitors, employees and marina staff were in the area at the time. Visitors were escorted out of the area by 1:30 p.m. The road is closed until further notice. At Pearce Ferry Road, a 28-passenger tour bus was stuck in the area due to running water. The passengers were evacuated via a high-clearance vehicle. The road remains muddy, but is passable. Four-wheel drive is recommended. Temple Bar access road was closed outside the park due to flooding across Detrital Wash. Nelson Landing Road was also closed. Both roads will remain closed until further notice. Due to debris on the roadways, access to Cottonwood Cove was restricted and South Cove Road was reduced to one lane. Both are now open. The park has more than 240 miles of paved roads and 800 miles of gravel or dirt roads. Rangers, maintenance crews and the park pilot are in the process of assessing damage to them and making repairs as needed. Source: News release, Lake Mead NRA.
Just after 7:30 p.m. on the evening of September 2nd, rangers received a marine radio distress call reporting a drowning on Lake Mohave. K.S., 48, of Long Beach, California, was helping secure a neighboring houseboat that broke away from the shore when he got tangled in spike lines and was pulled under the water as the houseboat began drifting. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. K.S. was not wearing a life jacket; the Clark County coroner's office ruled his death an accident. A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect at the time of the drowning. Wind speeds were clocked in between 40 and 50 mph during the storm, according to the National Weather Service. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A woman's death has been ruled an accident more than a month after her body was found in the desert in a remote part of the park. The coroner's office determined that Lorann King, 59, died of environmental heat stress. The Metropolitan Police Department responded to calls from the National Park Service on July 23rd regarding a body that was "in the middle of nowhere." The body was found in the desert near Devil's Cove Road within the park. King was found inside a vehicle that was parked on the remote road. A helicopter tour operator saw it there over a period of several days and reported it. It wasn't clear how long King was in the car before she was found. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A man who fired shots at security guards at a park marina last summer has been sentenced to a prison term of nearly seven years. J.J.D., 29, pleaded guilty in January to charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The incident occurred on August 10, 2017 at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor Marina. Court records describe how J.J.D., acting belligerently as the marina bar was closing, was asked by two security guards to leave the area. J.J.D. argued with the guards as he walked down the walkway leading to the parking lot. The guards followed him to ensure he left the area. J.J.D. then set his beer bottle on the ground, lifted his shirt, and grabbed a .25 caliber Raven handgun from his waistband. J.J.D. aimed and fired once at each security guard, and then started running towards the guards firing one more shot. When J.J.D. reached the two guards, he pressed the barrel of the handgun to one guard's forehead. The second guard was able to pull J.J.D.'s hand away as another shot was fired. The guards were able to wrestle J.J.D. to the ground, remove the gun from his hand, and restrain him until rangers arrived on scene. An NPS special agent worked with rangers during the investigation, and prepared the case for prosecution by the US Attorney's Office, District of Nevada. Source: Investigative Services Branch.
An investigation by NPS special agents has resulted in a prison term for a man who trafficked in prehistoric artifacts looted from public lands. G.W., 60, was recently sentenced to serve 15 months imprisonment for three felony ARPA violations. Court records show that G.W. bought approximately 30 artifacts illegally removed from a Hopewell culture burial mound in Indiana. Such mounds are sacred spaces built by American Indians almost 2,000 years ago. Hopewellian people gathered at earthwork complexes for feasts, funerals, and rites of passage. G.W. also trafficked in artifacts from American Indian burial sites in Kentucky and along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and was implicated in the trafficking of artifacts from Channel Islands National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and other public lands in Arizona and New Mexico. The cultural artifacts included prehistoric chert blades, stone tools, ancient ceramic pots, and a ladle. During the sentencing hearing, the federal judge told G.W. that he was disturbed that G.W. had chosen to dig the graves of the ancestors of American Indians for profit, and had done so while being well aware of the laws he had chosen to violate. Special agents from across the National Park System conducted the three-year investigation with assistance from the FBI's Bowling Green Resident Agency and prepared the case for prosecution by the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky. G.W. pleaded guilty to the charges in March. Source: National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
Rangers rescued 17 people after one vessel sank and another was swamped near the shoreline on Sunday, June 24th. Dispatch received a 911 call just before 2 a.m. in which the dispatcher could hear faint screams for help. GPS coordinates placed the call in the area of Lover's Cove, west of Callville Bay. Rangers responded in two vessels. When they arrived on the scene, rangers could only see a distant light in the water. They found a partially submerged vessel with only the bow above the waterline; nine people, including two children, were in the water. Most were not wearing life jackets and all were reaching a point of exhaustion after swimming in the water for over an hour. The rangers pulled the people from the water and onto their boat. Medical care was provided for a pregnant woman and a 12-month-old baby. A second NPS vessel saved another eight people who were on the shore, all of them associated with the group of people in the water. They were stranded after their boat became swamped and unusable. All 17 people were taken to Calville Bay Marina. An ambulance transported two minors and one adult to a local hospital as a precaution for water inhalation. Initial reports indicate that the accidents occurred due to a combination of the vessels being overloaded and dangerous weather conditions. The park's automated weather stations, run by the National Weather Service, recorded wind speeds up to 30 miles per hour and gusts at 38 miles per hour. Waves were likely running from three to four feet at the time of the incident. Source: KVVU News.
Two men have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in a road rage incident that occurred in the park in January, 2018. C.T., 27, and S.T., 23, pleaded guilty at previous court hearings to charges related to the incident. The incident began with an altercation with other park visitors. When those visitors left the area, the two men chased them in their vehicle. C.T. opened fire on the other visitors' vehicle with a handgun, striking it once; the round passed through the rear window and passenger side headrest and tore the jacket of the person sitting in the passenger seat. C.T. was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison and pay $1,300 in restitution for assault with intent to inflict serious bodily harm and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. He also agreed to forfeit the .45 caliber Glock that was used in the commission of this crime. Once released from prison, he will be on supervised release for four years, including GPS monitoring for the first year. While on supervised release, he must complete 2,000 hours of community service. Some conditions of his sentence may change if he earns his GED and HVAC technician certificate during the first year of incarceration. S.T. was sentenced on a simple assault charge at a previous court hearing to time served (approximately 3.5 months) followed by one year of supervised release, during which he is required to get his GED and a full-time job. Source: NPS Investigative Services Branch.
A Las Vegas teacher lost her leg in a boating accident on Lake Mead last week when a wave knocked her into the water and she was sucked into its propeller. L.B. was reportedly boating with friends when she was overpowered by the wave and pulled underneath the boat. She sustained multiple injuries. An off-duty nurse and a firefighter paramedic, also boating in the area, responded. They quickly applied a tourniquet to L.B.'s right leg and stayed with her until she was flown to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. Due to the severity of the injuries, doctors were forced to amputate her lower right leg. L.B.'s popularity as a teacher was validated by the contributions made to the GoFundMe page set up to help her pay for medical costs. There were 336 donors in just one day, and sponsors have raised more than $28,000 of a $35,000 goal. Source: Megan Johnson, Yahoo News.
A spike in hiker rescues has prompted the park to temporarily close a trail off U.S. 93 outside of Boulder City. The Lone Palm Trail will be closed through September 30th. There have been nine search and rescue operations on the trail over the last 45 days, compared to just one about the same time last year. The rescues took an average of four hours to complete, with one lasting nine hours. The trail is strenuous and people are miscalculating their abilities to complete it. Some hikers have also gotten lost without enough water. "Providing rescues on this trail during triple-digit heat is endangering their lives and the lives of rescue crews," said Margaret Goodro, the park's superintendent. "We will reopen the area in the fall, when temperatures are cooler." Source: Kelcie Grega, Las Vegas Sun.
Twelve people, including a three-year-old girl, were rescued on the night of Sunday, May 10th, after their 20-foot boat capsized on Lake Mead. Rangers and Nevada Department of Wildlife wardens responded to a 911 call around 7:15 p.m. near Swallow Bay. They secured the boat and rescued the passengers from the water. The three-year-old was rescued from an air pocket under the boat. Hours earlier, some boaters and kayakers got stranded in the water during a storm, and many people got their cars stuck in the mud trying to leave the beaches afterward. Rangers responded to more than 80 incidents overall on Sunday, including ten requiring search and rescues operations. The park said that strong winds and flash floods contributed to many of Sunday's incidents. Source: Alexis Egeland, Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Summer means a spike in visitors to NPS areas with rivers and lakes or bordering oceans, which unfortunately equates to a related spike in drownings: Lake Mead NRA — Late on the afternoon of June 23rd, the park received a call reporting a man seen going underwater at Boulder Beach after swimming in an inflatable raft. Bystanders had pulled the man from the water and begun CPR; rangers responded and took over, but the man did not survive. Rangers said he was not wearing a life jacket and reminded visitors to secure their inflatables during high winds, as fatalities happen every year at the park from people swimming after inflatable pool toys and rafts. Sources: Anna Beahm, Huntsville Times; Mack Jones, Deseret News; Jordan Gartner, KTNV News; Frances Ruth Harris, Pike County Courier; Katelyn Newberg, Las Vegas Review-Journal; Bailey Aldridge, News & Observer.
Summer means a spike in visitors to NPS areas with rivers and lakes or bordering oceans, which unfortunately equates to a related spike in drownings: Lake Mead NRA — The body of a woman who disappeared while swimming in Lake Mead last Wednesday was found in the lake on Saturday morning. Six people on an oversized flamingo float were blown into the lake; the woman jumped off the float into the water to help another swimmer, but failed to make it back to shore. Winds were gusting to nearly 30 mph at the time of the incident. The search included rangers and officers from the Boulder City Police Department and Metropolitan Police Department, along with "numerous friends and family." Searchers used boats, underwater cameras, divers, helicopter and people walking the shoreline while looking for her. Sources: Anna Beahm, Huntsville Times; Mack Jones, Deseret News; Jordan Gartner, KTNV News; Frances Ruth Harris, Pike County Courier; Katelyn Newberg, Las Vegas Review-Journal; Bailey Aldridge, News & Observer.
On the afternoon of August 5th, rangers and Mohave County Sheriff's Office deputies rescued three dehydrated hikers from a location near Hoover Dam. The hikers — two women and a man, all in their late teens — had gone hiking down the Colorado River within a closed area of the park. They'd begun their hike around 7 a.m. and had soon become severely dehydrated and unable to return to the trailhead. Medical responders treated the hikers for dehydration, which allowed them to continue the last mile and a half back to the trailhead with some assistance. The hikers had two small dogs with them that were also dehydrated; they were carried back to safety. Temperatures were in excess of 110 degrees in the area at the time of the rescue. This park is closed for hiking between May 15th and October 15th every year due to the extreme heat and the lack of water resources for hikers. The hikers were each cited with federal charges for trespassing. Source: Facebook entry, Mohave County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue.
A kayaker at Lake Mead recently had a frightening close call. Game wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife and National Park Service rangers said they came to the aid of a kayaker last week when he became separated from his kayak and spent more than an hour in 40-degree water. The wardens were alerted to the trouble by a 911 call. They spotted the victim struggling in the water about 500 yards from shore near the lake's fishing pier. A rescue boat was launched and game wardens used a rope to pull the kayaker to the person on board The man was treated for extreme hypothermia. He told the wardens he had become separated from his kayak and the wind made retrieving it impossible. Game Warden Zachary Blackwood said the rescue was "definitely a case of right place, right time." Blackwood explained that he was scheduled for land patrol, but a meeting with other wardens at the boat launch meant he was close enough to launch his boat quickly. Blackwood was able to retrieve the man's kayak and equipment from the lake and after a few hours warming up on the boat harbor, the kayaker felt well enough and refused any further treatment. Blackwood credits the good ending to the kayaker wearing a life jacket. Source: Ron Keller, KVVU News.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority and NPS are closely monitoring at least two toxic algae blooms on Lake Mohave, the reservoir between Hoover Dam and to the Davis Dam. So far, no toxic algae has been detected on Lake Mead. Source: News3LV
On March 14, a 64-year-old parked at the Bypass Bridge parking area near Hoover Dam to take photographs. The visitor did not return to the vehicle and is not carrying a phone or identification. The NPS is seeking information from the public to help locate the missing person. Source: National Park Service Investigative Services
On May 1, a metal barrel containing the remains of a person was found by people walking along the shore of the receding lake. Based on items recovered inside the barrel, investigators from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department believe the victim was killed in the 1980s. The department is working with experts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to identify the remains and determine the age of the barrel's metal. Source: New York Times
The NPS has issued a warning that the newly exposed shoreline is both difficult to navigate and has a high proportion of mud that may cause vehicles, vessels, or people to get stuck. Several pictures of people and vehicles stuck in the mud were shared on social media. Source: Fox 5 Vegas
On June 18, a 15-foot tri-hull vessel at South Cove began taking on water over the bow due to high winds, including gusts up to 40 mph. Three people were aboard the vessel, and two were able to make it to shore as the boat sank. However, the third individual drowned. NPS staff worked with Mohave County Sherriffs Office, utilizing side-scan sonar to locate and recover the victim's body. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area July 13, 2022 On June 30, two people were jet skiing in the Boulder Islands, when they fell off. One individual was rescued, while the other, a 22-year-old, disappeared after going into the water. Neither was wearing a personal flotation device. On July 6, a body was recovered in the same area via the use of a remotely operated vehicle. It was later identified as the missing individual. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area (7/1, 7/6), KTVZ, CBS News
On July 27, a 31-year-old kayaker near SCUBA Beach was seen struggling to retrieve an inflatable kayak that was blown away due to high winds. The individual was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not seen emerging from the water. NPS staff searched the area by boat and snorkeling, but the search had to be suspended due to severe weather throughout the evening. The next morning, NPS staff and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police found the individual deceased. Source: KVVU
On July 25, NPS staff responded to a report of human remains found in the Swim Beach area. On August 6, another set was found at Swim Beach. The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner is assisting with determining the cause of death in both cases. They are the third and fourth sets of remains found this year as the lake drops to record low levels. Source: ABC 30, Lake Mead National Recreation Area August 24, 2022 The media had previously reported that two sets of human remains had been found at Swim Beach: one on July 25 and one on August 6. However, since that time, the Clark County coroner's office has said that both sets of remains may be from the same person. On August 16, more remains were found at Swim Beach, and it is also unclear whether the remains are from the same person. The area was cordoned off and a dive team from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department supported the recovery efforts. The investigation is ongoing. Source: AP News, New York Post September 7, 2022 On September 2, a 44-year-old, who was not wearing a personal flotation device, was observed in distress while attempting to swim back to his boat near the Cottonwood Cove of Lake Mohave. Observers tried to throw multiple flotation devices to the individual, but the individual slipped under the water. The NPS dive team responded, but had to suspend the search that evening due to high winds. The individual's body was found the following morning by the dive team. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area September 7, 2022 The human remains found on May 7 at Callville Bay (see 5/18/22 Coalition Report) have been identified as a 42-year-old who reportedly drowned on August 2, 2022. Identification was made using DNA analysis, and the evidence corroborates a witness report made to rangers on that date, saying that a person without a personal flotation device was seen swimming and struggling in that area. On August 17, a gun was found in a dried out section of the lake adjacent to where other human remains were found in a barrel on May 1 (see 5/4/22 Coalition Report). It has not yet been determined whether the gun is connected to those remains. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area, The New York Times September 18, 2022 On August 16, it was discovered that private individuals brought heavy equipment to grade an undisturbed area to create an unapproved boat ramp and parking area at Echo Bay. Park staff have installed multiple dirt and concrete berms to close down the unapproved structure, and increased patrolling in the area. The former official Echo Bay launch, as well as four other NPS boat launches on the lake, have been closed due to dropping lake levels. Only one is currently open at Hemenway Harbor. There is also an approved privately maintained boat launch at South Cove. Source: 8NewsNow (8/30, 9/2)
On October 1, a single engine Cessna carrying two passengers was headed from Las Vegas to Arizona. The plane landed in the waters of the lake. No passengers were injured. Personnel from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the NPS responded, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Source: KTNV
On October 15, a 39-year-old went missing in the water from the "back bay area" of Katherine Landing Marina. The individual was not wearing a personal flotation device. A witness called 911 to report it, and rangers began a search effort. The search continued through the next day with support from Mohave County dive personnel. The individual was found deceased that afternoon and their body was recovered. The incident is being investigated as a drowning. Source: AP News
On October 17, a concession dive operator found a human bone while diving in the Callville Bay Area. They reported it, and the following day, an NPS dive team conducted a full search and confirmed finding human skeletal remains. No foul play is suspected at this point. The Clark County Coroner's Office has been contacted and will confirm the identity of the deceased individual. It is the sixth set of remains found in the lake since May 1. Source: News4
On October 19, the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed the death of a juvenile individual from an infection of Naegleria fowleri, also known as brain-eating amoeba. The individual may have been exposed to the organism the weekend of September 30 in the Kingman Wash area of the park. It is the first confirmed fatality caused by the organism from possible exposure at the park. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
An individual was sentenced to 20-55 years in prison for attempted sexual assault, child abuse resulting in bodily harm, and second-degree kidnapping related to an incident with a 14-year-old in May 2018 at Sandy Cove. The individual pleaded no contest to the charges and did not admit to any wrongdoing or take responsibility for the crimes or impacts on the survivor. The case was investigated by the NPS' Investigative Services Branch and prosecuted by the Clark County District Attorney's Office. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
On August 28, 2022, an individual between 25-35 years old was assaulted by a group of people while camping with family along the shoreline of Lake Mohave's Nelson Landing area. It is thought that the victim would have required medical intervention due to the extent of injuries. Law enforcement from the park and the Investigative Services Branch are seeking information from the public to identify the victim because it may be helpful in other ongoing investigations. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
On January 1, a 40-year-old was arrested for suspected involvement in "the majority of burglaries in the Fritch area." The Hutchinson County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, Fritch Police Department, and NPS served a search warrant for stolen property in the Lake Meredith Harbor area and found the suspect hiding in nearby bushes. The individual was arrested on multiple counts of theft of property. Source: ABC7 Amarillo
Clark County (NV) coroners were able to use DNA analysis and historical records to identify human remains that were discovered in Calville Bay in October 2022 by a concession dive operator (see 11/22/22 Coalition Report). The individual was a 39-year-old who accidentally drowned in April 1974. Source: The Guardian
On April 30, a 54-year-old parent and 26-year-old child were hiking on the White Rock Trail when the older one became dehydrated and fell. The younger individual went toward the trailhead to get help and also became exhausted. They were able to contact emergency services to report their condition and were "in and out of consciousness." Staff from the NPS, Mohave County (NV) Sheriff's Office, Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire, and a Western Air Rescue DPS helicopter from Kingman responded to the incident. They were spotted from the trailhead and rescuers were able to call in both of their locations to the helicopter, which picked them up. They were taken to a command post and evaluated by Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire staff. Source: KVVU
On April 26, the Clark County (NV) Coroner's Office announced that three sets of human remains found at Swim Beach in Boulder Basin in July and August of 2022 are those of a 52-year-old who went missing in July 1998. The individual had been fishing in a boat just off Boulder Beach and their boat was found running circles on the lake, above a depth of 181 feet of water. The cause and manner of death have not yet been identified. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Over the three days of Memorial Day weekend, the park recorded 568 incidents: 252 warnings, 48 citations, 12 arrests, three boat accidents, five motor vehicle accidents, six emergency medical calls, two fires, and 22 search and rescue calls. Source: 8 News Now
On June 16, a 20-year-old individual "appeared to have intentionally went over the edge near Sugarloaf Mountain." They died from the jump. NPS staff, Mohave County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue, and a Western Air Rescue Kingman Department of Public Safety helicopter assisted with the recovery of the individual's body, which was located in steep, hazardous terrain. An investigation of the incident is underway. Source: Mohave Valley Daily News
From June 20-22, the Southern Nevada Water Authority will hold back water, then make releases, resulting in a series of low and higher flow events. Visitors are advised to avoid lower Las Vegas Wash, downstream of Northshore Road. Source: KTNV
Over June 17-18, Fathers Day weekend, the park experienced many incidents, including six fatalities. Three people were killed in a multi-vehicle accident, two people drowned, and one person died of an apparent suicide (see the 6/21/23 Coalition Report). Furthermore, the park rescued 23 people and responded to multiple criminal incidents, including assault, theft, and drug use. Source: Arizona Public Radio On June 22, two people rented a pontoon boat from Las Vegas Boat Harbor in Boulder City. That afternoon, one of them jumped off the boat and did not resurface. It is suspected that the individual drowned. The search for the individual is ongoing. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
On July 29, a 42-year-old was reported to have gone missing at Crawdad Cove. On July 30, NPS staff were able to recover the individual's body. The Clark County coroner's office confirmed that the individual died due to drowning. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal Over the weekend of August 5 and 6, two individuals drowned in the lake. Monsoon winds caused hazardous conditions for boats and swimmers. These were the eighteenth and nineteenth fatalities in the park this year, many of which have been drownings. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Most of the above parks announced preemptive closures between August 18-20 due predicted flooding from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hilary. It is the first official National Weather Service Tropical Storm Warning in history for the region. Source: KTLA, Desert Sun, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Manzanar National Historic Site Lake Mead reopened on August 22. The Las Vegas Boat Harbor (concession-operated) was severely damaged and the Callville Bay Marina is still without power, as of August 22. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
On August 12, two individuals were killed in a boat crash at the Callville Bay boat ramp. One of the individuals was identified as a 48-year-old, and the Clark County coroner's office said they died of blunt force trauma and that the death was "ruled an accident." Details about the others' death have not been released. An individual involved in the crash was arrested on charges of operating a vessel while under the influence. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
On November 7, the park closed the Arizona Hot Springs, its associated trail, and the White Rock Canyon parking lot on Highway 93 due to high levels of fecal bacteria in the water. The park does routine water monitoring around the park for safety, which revealed the issue. No illnesses have been report thus far. When the water quality is back to federal and state standards of safety, the areas will reopen. Source: KJZZ
On November 23, 1976, hikers discovered human remains in a shallow grave about six miles east of Katherine's Landing. Investigators determined the individual was shot in the head at close range. Though fingerprints were gathered and a composite of the victim's face was developed, no leads were ever found about the individual's identity. In October 2023, Mohave County Sheriff's Office's Special Investigations Unit began a review of the case and compared them against national fingerprint records, a resource that did not exist in the 1970s. The victim was identified, and detectives learned that the individual was living or working in the Las Vegas area around their time of death. Officials have not yet been able to locate any relatives of the individual. Source: St. George News
On April 7, two adults were recorded on video toppling natural rock formations from the top of a cliff in the area of the Redstone Dunes Trail. This incident is considered vandalism of the landscape. The NPS is looking for any information the public can provide. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
On April 24, the park announced that water quality monitoring at Arizona Hot Springs showed increased levels of fecal coliform, enterococci, and E. coli, all exceeding local, state, and NPS standards for recreation. The park plans to engage in "enhanced monitoring," and if levels continue to rise, they will close the hot springs until they decrease to safer levels. The area was closed in October 2023 due to high bacteria levels, as well. At that time, sandbags were removed to allow water to flow freely, which allowed bacteria levels to decrease. Source: 8 News Now
Over the weekend of May 18-19, two individuals overturned their jet ski in high winds and were observed to be struggling in the water. The incident was reported to rangers nearby, who responded and found the pair wearing "poorly fitted" life jackets that were slipping over their heads. The rangers were able to use a throw ring to bring both individuals to safety. Source: KTNV
On June 9 at about 12:30 AM, a fire broke out at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor Marina. Several agencies responded to the scene and were able to contain it "within hours." About 15 boats were damaged or destroyed by the fire. There is a partial closure in place on the R and I docks. The cause is under investigation. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
On June 16, a shooting took place near Lakeshore Drive and Sunset Overlook. "Officials said the incident started out with a crash." No other details were given. The NPS Investigative Services Branch is looking for any information the public can provide. Source: News3LV
The Las Vegas Metro Police have released images of the clothing found with human remains inside a barrel in May 2022 (see 5/4/22 and 5/18/22 Coalition Reports). They hope that the images might allow a family member to identify them. Detectives have also requested DNA from multiple families with unsolved missing persons cases from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Source: Carolina's Own Queen City News/KLAS
On June 24, while boating with friends at Lake Mead, two individuals went for a swim and did not return. On June 28, a team from the NPS and Las Vegas Metropolitan Search and Rescue found both individuals deceased in the Callville Bay area. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
On July 12, the park released a letter from Superintendent Mike Gauthier expressing gratitude to the many individuals and agencies who have supported the June 9 Las Vegas Boat Harbor Marina fire incident (see 6/12/24 Coalition Report) and its aftermath. Source: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
On August 10 around 8:30 PM, a 58-year-old was paddleboarding with a group of five other individuals near Boulder Islands when heavy winds started up. Several group members fell into the water. The 58-year-old went missing in the incident. They were not wearing a life jacket at the time. Personnel from the NPS, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue, and Southern Nevada Off Road Recovery supported a search. On August 14, the individual was found deceased, north of Boulder Harbor. Source: News3LV, Las Vegas Review-Journal
On August 23, two individuals, ages 31 and 37, were indicted for pushing large rocks off the edge of a cliff onto the ground near the Redstone Dunes Trail on April 7, 2024 (see 4/17/24 Coalition Report). The incident resulted in "damages in excess of $1,000." Each individual was charged with one count of injury and depredation of government property and one count of aiding and abetting. A jury trial has been scheduled for October 8. Source: U.S. Attorney's Office: District of Nevada
Over Labor Day weekend, a 19-year-old waded into deep water and "fell off a shelf" in the Nelson's Landing area. They were not wearing a personal flotation device. The individual went unresponsive and a bystander helped retrieve them from the water. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Source: News3LV
The park has announced the observation of toxic algal blooms in several places on Lake Mohave. The toxin levels exceed safe levels for public contact, per metrics established by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. Visitors are advised to avoid swimming and to keep pets from drinking from or swimming in the water. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
On November 11, 2009, construction workers on Highway 93 near Milepost 3 near Hoover Dam observed human bones and contacted the NPS. An investigation revealed a pair of blue jeans, red t-shirt, black athletic shoe, green sleeping bag, and a white towel. The items were turned into the Mohave County (NV) Medical Examiner's Office. Detectives investigated the incident, but were unable to find any leads. In February 2022, a detective submitted a bone sample to the Arizona Department of Public Safety lab to try to identify the individual, but they were unsuccessful in making a match. In April 2024, Othram Labs received grant funding to do "forensic genetic genealogy," creating a DNA profile in a database. In October, Mohave County received a report that the individual was a descendent of specific ancestors born in the mid-1800s that lived in Michigan. They were able to use that information to begin a new investigation and positively identified the individual as someone who had not been seen by their siblings since 1995 and was last known to be "travelling in the southwest area of the United States." The cause of death was unknown, and the individual is estimated to have died between 2006 and 2008. Source: 8 News Now | |