New River Gorge |  |
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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Thursday, July 17, 1986 Incident location: Brooks Falls Summary: Drowning at falls. Wasn't wearing PFD & couldn't swim. Four guys fishing from inner tubes. He slipt out of tube while going over falls. Resurfaced 5 min later. Unable to revive.
Summary: Riding in park on horse. Train came by. Horse bolted into side of training. Girl injured & later died. No name yet.
Location: New River Gorge Bridge Summary: Mr. R.S. parachuted from bridge on August 14 and drowned in river. Body found on 8/18/86.
Location: Fern Creek Summary: A.J.M. was backpacking with another juvenile and an adult, and fell from top of waterfall. Extensive injuries. Died shortly thereafter.
Location: Near Sandstone Falls R.A. and P.M. were wading into the New River with a group of 8-10 relatives when they apparently stepped into deeper water and were swept away by the current. The bodies of both victims were recovered by Sandstone FD and Hinton VFD.
Location: Glen Jean Township A fire was discovered in the historic two-story Taylor House, which the park acquired five days ago. The building was seriously damaged, but the scope and extent of the fire is not currently known. Arson is suspected. The house was boarded up, but the first person on the scene discovered a board torn off in the rear of the building - the apparent entry point. The fire also began on the first floor, but the fire marshall indicates that all electrical wiring is on the second floor of the building. Investigation underway. The building is 75-100 years old.
Location: Sandstone Falls The C. brothers ware with 2 other boys as they were wading across the river. All of them lost their footing and were swept a distance downstream/ 2 made it to shore where they waited for a couple of hours for the brothers, thinking they were playing a joke in not appearing. They finally reported the brothers as missing at approximately 2:00pm to the West Virginia State Police. The State Police, along with the NPS responded to the report. All searched until dark. At approximately 10:00pm the dam was shut down to allow the water level to go down to allow that area to be searched at daylight.
T.P.S. was fishing with a companion when he saw what appeared to be his fishing license floating in the water. He had lost his wallet earlier in the day. T.P.S. was a good swimmer and jumped into the water to recover the license only to discover that it was a tree leaf. The undertow was quite strong and apparently pulled him under. Park personnel responded to the report with a raft, but Stone had already been found by the time they arrived at the scene. The body was recovered by Jan Care Ambulance
Location: Double Z Rapids D.G. was on an Alpine Bible Camp rafting trip down the New River when the raft she was on hit Table Rock in Double Z Rapids and she fell out. The was pinned 5' under the rock and drowned. Efforts to extricate her have so far been unsuccessful; an upstream dam will decrease its discharge so that the body can be reached and removed. Double Z is a Class 5 rapid and is considered one of the most technically difficult to negotiate on the river. Alpine Bible Camp is a commercial rafting operation.
Location: New River Gorge Bridge S.G. was one of about 250 registered BASE (Bridge, Antenna, Structure and Earth) jumpers who signed up to jump from the 900' bridge. His main chute did not open, and he fell too fast for him to get his secondary fully deployed. Although he was reached quickly by rangers, he was found to be DGA. Indications are that he may have packed his own chute and that it had been packed improperly. Marijuana was found on his person. There were three other injuries during the course of the event, which is held annually. The bridge is not in NPS jurisdiction.
At noon on March 18th, outfitters from Passages to Adventure notified the park that they had recovered the body of a man from the New River. The body has not yet been identified, but it was determined that it had been in the water for several days. The body was taken to the county coroner for initial examination, and will be sent to the state medical examiner in Charleston for in-depth study. Although foul play was initially suspected, it has been ruled out for the time being. (Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, via Chris Andress and Ginny Paci, RAD/MARO).
Investigators have identified the body of the man pulled from the New River on March 18th as that of R.H., 51, of Thornville, Ohio. R.H. had last been seen in Oak Hill, West Virginia, on January 8th. He was involved in a motor vehicle accident that evening, and was reported to have been highly intoxicated by the mechanic at the garage where the vehicle was taken. It is not known how he got into the river. The medical examiner has determined that the cause of death was drowning, not foul play as had been originally suspected. (Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, through Steve Alscher, RAD/MARO).
On the morning of April 23rd, R.L.R., 40, of Charlestown, West Virginia, was hit and killed by a train while backpacking with three friends along railroad tracks four miles from Thurmond. R.L.R., who was deaf, did not see the train and could not hear his companions' warning shouts. None of the other three people was hurt. (Rick Brown, NERI, via Ginny Paci, RAD/MARO).
On June 10th, Vice President Quayle and his family rafted the lower gorged of the New River within the park. Park rangers assisted the Secret Service in planning water-related activities and possible Whitewater SAR and EMS operations; they also assisted in providing site security in the launching area. During the trip, rangers and Secret Service agents on park watercraft provided the vanguard and rear guard for the Vice President's party. The park's 20-foot motorized raft was employed to carry specialized equipment, including weapons and White House communications equipment, and to serve as a platform for possible SAR operations. At the conclusion of the trip, Vice President Quayle spoke to several rangers and thanked them for their assistance; he also said that he would like to come back in the fall and run the Gauley River, which is a new national park area. During the Vice President's visit, the park also permitted and managed a political demonstration associated with the visit. (Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via telefax to RAD/MARO and RAD/WASO).
On August 6th, L.Z., 44, of Accoville, West Virginia, was unloading gear from his boat after a fishing trip when he apparently slipped, fell and struck his head. Friends found him face down in the water 30 to 50 minutes later. CPR was begun; although L.Z. was temporarily revived, he later died at a nearby hospital. West Virginia State Police officers are investigating. (Telephone report from RAD/MARO).
On August 12th, a marijuana eradication task force comprised of Raleigh County sheriff's deputies and park rangers began a search of the park for a reported marijuana plantation. They employed rafts to navigate part of the New River, and discovered a plot in a remote section of the park. A total of 240 plants were taken and destroyed. The plants were under intense cultivation and of the sensimilla variety. Local authorities estimated the street value of the plants at $720,000. Eradication efforts continue. (Telefax to RAD/MARO and RAD/WASO from Bill Blake, CR, NERI).
While camped at Grand View Sandbar on the morning of August 17th, B.W., his wife and their 16-year-old daughter were confronted by a man named L.T. who accused the B.W.'s daughter of stealing a watchband from his recreational vehicle. During the encounter, L.T. pointed a 30-30 rifle in the face of Mrs. B.W. and threatened to kill her. After pleading with L.T., the family retreated to their campsite; L.T. pursued them and continued his threats to kill them. After a few tense moments at the campsite with more threats, L.T. left the area. Rangers were later summoned to the location and began an investigation. On August 18th, rangers apprehended L.T. in the Grand View area. While dealing with L.T., they also contacted two men believed to be associates of his and found them to be in possession of freshly cut marijuana, loaded and concealed weapons, illegal weapons, and explosives. Investigation of the incident continues. This is the fourth assault with a deadly weapon to occur in the Grand View area this summer. On August 12th, 240 marijuana plants were taken out of the park from this area. (Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via telefax to RAD/MARO and RAD/WASO).
On September 16th, Congressmen Bruce Vento (D-Minnesota) and Nick Rahall (D- West Virginia) presided over a ceremony dedicating Gauley River NRA, which will be administered (along with Bluestone NSR) by New River Gorge. A dozen other VTP's, including MAR Regional Director Jim Coleman, were also in. attendance. After the ceremony, they were taken, on a white water rafting trip down the upper stretch of the Gauley, which is world-renowned for its Class V and VI rapids. Two of the three rafts making the trip were provided by the park and were guided by park, rangers - one for VIP's and. one for protection and rescue services. Several incidents occurred during the trip. While passing through the Class V Shiprock Rapid, Assistant Superintendent Henry Law was swept out of his rescue raft, but was able to get back after a short swim. In the Class VI Sweet Falls Rapid, one of the VIP/media rafts flipped, and all six passengers were dumped, into the river. Park staff in the rescue raft assisted them in recapturing and righting their raft, then went to the assistance of eight park visitors from two other water craft that had also been overturned. (Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via telefaxes to RAD/MARO and RAD/WASO).
The following update on Hurricane Hugo's impacts on units of the National Park System in the Southeast was prepared by staff in the Service's Southeast Regional Office from phone calls made to each park's superintendent or chief ranger early today. It was forwarded to the Washington Office at 6 a.m. this morning. Because of darkness and winds, it was not always possible to get an accurate assessment of the storm's effects to this point. Reports on the Virgin Islands were received yesterday afternoon. Further updates will be provided as soon as parks are able to evaluate the hurricane's impact and report to the regional office. - New River Gorge - The park reported 50 mile per hour winds and heavy rains falling as of noon on Friday. The river was reported to be well above normal autumn levels and rising rapidly. Power was out. The park staff was working with local authorities to coordinate possible river rescue operations.
On October 1st, rangers and West Virginia DNR conservation officers served arrest warrants on four individuals charged on 10 separate counts of violating commercial white water regulations in the park. The arrests culminated a two-month-long undercover operation run jointly by rangers and conservation officers. While making the arrests, small amounts of marijuana and LSD were confiscated and $18,000 worth of equipment was seized. Although the primary targets of this investigation were "bandit" commercial operators who had also committed a number of safety violations, intelligence was also developed regarding the distribution, sales and use of illegal drugs in the park. The investigation continues and additional arrests are expected. (Telefax report from Bill Blake, CR, NERI).
On October 21st, the tenth annual Bridge Day was held on the New River Gorge Bridge. Among other Bridge Day activities, parachutists traditionally jump from the center span of the bridge and descend to New River Gorge 870 feet below. This event is coordinated by the BASE Association, and over 450 jumpers registered to participate this year. The park, which controls the river and adjacent land, including the landing zone, issued them a special use permit for the event. On the day of the event, however, the New River was 14 feet above its seasonal normal and covered the drop zone with 15 feet of water. Although the BASE Association withdrew its support for the event and the park revoked the special use permit, 48 people made "bandit" jumps from the bridge. One of them, Tim Sell of Davis, California, was apprehended when he intentionally jumped onto park land; six of the remaining 48 attempted to hit a state road and landed 30 to 40 feet up in trees in the park. All were rescued without injury. One jumper missed the road and hit and caved in the roof of a personal vehicle belonging to a park ranger. On the following day, another jumper was severely injured when he conducted an illegal jump from the Glade Creek Bridge on 1-64 into the park. He was medevaced to Charleston, and rangers are investigating the incident. During the event on the 21st, rangers also rescued nine visitors whose commercial raft flipped over in the Class V Fayette Station rapids. (Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI).
On the night of February 5th, park rangers completed an investigation into the theft of a computer and printer from the park's Canyon Rim Visitor Center with the execution of a search warrant at the house of a commissioned seasonal employee and the recovery of approximately $6,000 worth of stolen government property. The employee was arrested on the following day and charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. In addition to the computer and printer, the rangers found badges, flashlights, law enforcement leather gear, camera equipment and SAR gear. Drug paraphernalia and material believed to be marijuana were also discovered. A check of the employee's background revealed a prior arrest and association with illegal drugs. Although the employee was commissioned, she was not required to take a drug test at the beginning of her 1989 appointment because she was not in a law enforcement position. Because the employee is a "career" seasonal, New River, with the concurrence of MARO, will develop an employee alert for this individual and distribute more detailed background information in the near future. The alert will contain information about a second individual who is associated with this case, has an arrest record, has been connected with illegal drugs, and is trying to obtain a law enforcement position with the NPS. (Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via telefax report, 11 a.m. EST, 2/9/90).
On May 8th, a female visitor was physically assaulted and $1,300 was stolen from her in an incident which occurred at Grandview. The woman has been hospitalized. No further information is currently available. (Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via telephone report to RAD/WASO, 5/10/90).
On May 8th, a female visitor was physically assaulted and $1,300 was stolen from her in an incident which occurred at Grandview. The woman has been hospitalized. No further information is currently available. (Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via telephone report to RAD/WASO, 5/10/90).
As a result of a cooperative effort with local and state agencies to deal with drug problems in and around the park, a combined task force has discovered two marijuana plantations in the park and eradicated a total of 421 plants with a street value (at harvest) of $421,000. The task force, which has been working together for less than a month, is sharing personnel, special equipment and intelligence. The effort is being supported by special drug funds from the park and region; outside NPS resources are being coordinated by MAR Chief Ranger Chris Andress. Several joint special operations in the park are being planned. (Telefaxed report from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, to RAD/MARO and RAD/WASO, 6/20).
On June 24th, park visitors discovered the body of R.H. in his home, which is located in an isolated part of the park known as Mill Creek. R.H. was occupying his house under a lifetime estate agreement. R.H. had been a victim of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in the past, and park rangers and West Virginia state police are investigating the possibility that R.H. was murdered. (Telefax report from Bill Blake, CR, NERI).
On August 15th, rangers eradicated 19 marijuana plants found in the park. The street value of these plants is estimated at $38,000. The discovery of this small plantation resulted from NERI's involvement in an inter-agency cooperative effort. Information developed by this group shows that southwest West Virginia is experiencing a 100 percent increase in marijuana cultivation over 1989. To date, rangers have located approximately 530 plants - a 110 percent increase over last year. (Telefaxed report from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/17).
On August 17th, E.W., 21, of Coal City, West Virginia, and G.M., 28, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, drowned in the New River near Terry Beach. Both men entered the water to assist Wyatt's wife, who was having difficult. She was able to return to shore safely, but neither E.W. nor G.M. were able to make it back. Testimony from other party members and evidence at the scene suggest that both victims had been drinking heavily. Rangers and members of a local fire department recovered both bodies. (Telefax report from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/21).
On August 17th, rangers arrested R.E.F. of Oak Hill, West Virginia, for cultivation of marijuana in the park. Three days prior to the arrest, a special drug recon patrol conducted by rangers discovered a plantation of 127 plants in a remote part of the park. Evidence at the scene, including irrigation equipment and fertilizer, indicated that the plants were being intensively cultivated. An around-the-clock surveillance operation was immediately begun. Just after 6 p.m. on the 17th, R.E.F. entered the plantation and began working with the plants. The rangers videotaped him in the act. As R.E.F. left the plantations, he was arrested by the three rangers on the surveillance team. R.E.F. has an extensive arrest record for past violence, but offered the rangers little resistance. The plants are valued at $2,000 each, and push the total value of marijuana seized in the park past $1 million. (Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/20).
On August 31st, rangers responded to a report of a body in the New River and discovered the remains of S.S., 27, of Buckcannon, West Virginia. Upon investigation, they found that S.S. had suffered some type of head injury or wound. The exact cause of death, however, has not yet been determined. S.S. was last seen alive on the 28th as he ran from a railroad right-of-way, where he was being chased by railway police for stealing copper wire. The right-of-way runs through the park. At that time, S.S. was with H.W., who was arrested. S.S. had escaped. An investigation is underway. (Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/4).
Over the past weekend, three significant VIP visits occurred in the park. The primary attraction was the Gauley River, which has over 100 major rapids along 24 miles of river. The visits were by Vice President Quayle and his family, Secretary Lujan, and Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Scott Sewell. Regional Director Jim Coleman was also in the park and took part in the Sewell trip. Both Sewell and the Vice President rafted on the Gauley and its Class VI Whitewater; Secretary Lujan fished and rafted on the New River. Rangers were actively involved in all aspects of these trips. Class VI-qualified rangers led the two-day trip for the Sewell party; other Class VI-qualified rangers provided a law enforcement screen and Whitewater SAR and safety support for the Vice President's trip. Other park rangers were involved in the security and land-based protection for the Vice President. The only incident which occurred was an involuntary swim taken by Sewell on a Class V rapid called Insignificant. Upon returning to the raft, Sewell commented that the rapid might better be named "Significant." (Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/17).
On September 25th, B.B., 29, of Centerville, Virginia, drowned while kayaking in the Gauley River. B.B.'s kayak became pinned vertically in the Class TV "Shiprock Rapids", and B.B. was underwater for approximately 15 minutes. CPR was begun on him after he was extricated; he was then medevaced to a hospital in Beckley, where he died. Rangers were also involved in 16 additional Whitewater SAR's during the weekend, including the rescue of Congressman N.R. (D-WV), who fell out of a park raft in the Class VI "Pillow Rock Rapids." Congressman N.R. was recovered by an NPS rescue kayaker. (Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/24).
On October 20th, rangers maintenance employees assisted at the 11th annual Bridge Day, an event which is held on the New River Gorge bridge. The bridge, which is 900 feet above the New River, is a prime location for BASE jumpers, who come from all over the world to participate in the event. This year's jump, which was held under a park special use permit, was complicated by high water, as the New River was 11 feet above normal fall levels. Due to special safety constraints, only 397 jumps were made. Rangers were involved in 59 Whitewater SAR's and one "tree" STAR. Five jumpers received injuries requiring hospitalization. Ranger Scott Kalna also was injured when he broke his hand while attempting to arrest the fall of a BASE jumper who fell from a tree top. Kalna's quick actions prevented the jumper from falling another 45 feet. Seven jumpers were arrested by rangers for making illegal jumps. A crowd estimated at 200,000 - a record for the event - attended Bridge Day. (Telefaxed report from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 10/21).
At about 9:30 p.m. on October 27th, rangers and local firefighters responded to a report of a structural fire in the outdoor theater in the park's Grandview unit. Upon arriving, they found the front office complex of the outdoor theater fully engulfed in flames. The theater is used by Theater West Virginia for an outdoor drama program; the front office complex housed a small NPS visitor center, a concession stand, Theater West Virginia's offices, a storage area for light and sound equipment, and the subdistrict ranger's office. All facilities and equipment in the building (including $5,000 worth of SAR and EMS gear) and half of the seating area for the outdoor theater were destroyed. The total loss has been placed in excess of $500,000. On the following day, an inter-agency arson investigation team coordinated by the park concluded that the fire had been caused by faulty wiring. The park had inherited the aging facility on October 1st when the state donated what had been called Grandview State Park to the Service. (Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via CompuServe message from Ginny Paci, RAD/MARO, 10/30).
A memorial service for Ron Gibbs, who was killed in a one-car accident on October 27th, was held last Thursday evening in Oak Hill, West Virginia. Ron was a 24-year-veteran of the National Park Service and the first historian for New River Gorge National River. A trust fund for the study of military history is being established in his name. Specific information on how to contribute to the fund will appear in the morning report later this week. (Telefax from Meg Weesner, NERI, 11/1).
On November 19th, West Virginia opened its 1990 deer season. Within 24 hours, rangers and conservation officers from the state's department of natural resources made 11 arrests for illegal hunting activities within the park. Violations included taking game out of season, spotlighting, hunting without a license, taking game from a closed area, and illegal possession of weapons. (Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 11/21 report inadvertently misplaced until recently).
Rangers received an anonymous report of deer poaching in the park near Sewell on January 11th. Three poachers were reported to be using a truck to enter an area along the New River via a railroad access road to spotlight and shoot deer. The poachers were reportedly selling the deer for about $50 each, and had allegedly taken about five deer in the area over the previous two weeks. Four rangers and a West Virginia conservation officer placed the area under surveillance. Around 10:00 that evening, they saw a truck matching the description the informant had given entering the area. Just after midnight, the surveillance team saw the suspects employ handheld spotlights from the truck to spot the open fields and river bank. The team closed in on the vehicle and arrested three men A.H., 71, J.H., 45, and C.J., 41, all from Oak Hill, West Virginia. The three were charged with hunting without a license, hunting out of season, spotlighting, and possession of loaded firearms in a vehicle. Two 12 gauge shotguns loaded with slugs and two spotlights were seized. No deer or other wildlife were found in their possession, but they admitted to the charges. C.J. also admitted that they had shot at but missed one deer just prior to the arrest. [Telefax from Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 1/12]
On March 23rd, rangers working in the park's Canyon District received a report of the discovery of a large number of dead deer in a remote section of the Gauley River and found two large piles of deer carcasses and skeletons. They estimated that the remains of between 250 and 300 deer bucks, does, fawns and yearlings are in the two piles. Rangers and officers from the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources have begun a joint investigation. [CompuServe message from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 3/27]
On the afternoon of March 22nd, ranger Jennifer Anderson was patrolling an area of the park which contains a known archeological site. A local informant had told her that several individuals might be digging in the site that day. Anderson spotted a vehicle near the site and confirmed that it belonged to an individual who was suspected of previous cultural resource and firearms violations. Since county and state officers had previously warned rangers that the vehicle's owner and his known associates were generally armed and had often been in trouble with authorities, Anderson immediately requested backup, then found and observed three men C.F., 28, E.F., 52, and C.M., 28 digging in different areas of the site. The men eventually spotted her and immediately ran from the area. After about ten minutes, however, they returned and began approaching Anderson's position; one man carried a shovel, a second carried a mattock. Since the three men had a history of criminal behavior and were acting suspiciously, Anderson had taken the precaution of arming herself with a shotgun from her vehicle. When the trio approached to within 25 yards, Anderson ordered them to halt. Two complied, but the third continued to approach. He finally stopped 15 feet from Anderson's position when Anderson gave him a third command to stop and chambered a round in her shotgun. The three men were very agitated and verbalized vague threats towards Anderson until three responding rangers and two county deputies arrived to assist. The men admitted to digging for artifacts and were arrested for cultural resource violations. Several digging implements possessed by the men were confiscated along with a .22 caliber rifle found during a consent search of their vehicle. Rangers subsequently counted a total of over 600 holes on the site, some as deep as two and a half feet. The investigation is continuing in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Additional charges may be lodged on ARPA violations and for interfering with agency functions. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 3/26]
Wolf Creek, which flows through lands controlled and administered by the park, became polluted by an acid mine runoff last month which killed over 500 fish and threatened the water quality for residents of the town of Fayetteville and the surrounding area. The pollution source has been known to authorities for the past ten years, and has been in state court for the last eight years without resolution. On April 30th, the U.S. Attorney for West Virginia requested a joint NPS-FBI investigation of the incident, and also asked rangers to investigate an acid mine drainage problem in the park and a logging operation near the boundary which is causing soil erosion and water quality problems for the New River. In all three cases, rangers are working with investigators from both the FBI and the EPA and are employing the Clean Water Act as the primary investigative tool. The initial investigation of Wolf Creek shows ample evidence for a grand jury indictment, and the U.S. Attorney has assured the environmental crimes task force which he chairs that his intent is to aggressively pursue and prosecute violators of environmental crimes, particularly those affecting water quality in the park. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 5/7]
In January of 1990, rangers discovered that a computer and printer had been stolen from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. J.C., a seasonal employee who was off for the winter, was suspected of the theft, and enough evidence was gathered to obtain a search warrant of her residence. During that search, rangers found the printer and a number of other items taken from the park, including computer software and SAR equipment. The total valuation of all items was placed at just over $2,000. J.C. confessed to having stolen a total of nearly $5,700 in government property during the twoyear period she was employed in the park. The computer was recovered from her parents' residence in Loraine, Ohio, shortly thereafter. J.C. was arraigned and later pled guilty to the theft of government property (18 USC 641). On May 6th, J.C. appeared in U.S. District Court and was sentenced to five months in prison, two years' probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $2,000 fine. Her prison time will be spent in a halfway house or community treatment center, where she will work days and be detained at night. Community service will be undertaken during the probation period. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 5/15]
On June 14th, rangers responded to a report of a boating accident near Terry Beach. Arriving on scene, they discovered that a small fishing boat had capsized and that the two occupants had been thrown into the New River. One of the two men, A.R., was wearing a life jacket and was able to swim to safety; the other, J.L.B., 58, was not and was swept downstream. Rangers coordinated a multiagency SAR response which included specially trained dogs, air overflights, SCUBA teams, and water and ground searchers. J.L.B.'s body was discovered on the 15th by divers checking an area that a dog had alerted on. This is the third drowning in less than a year in the Terry Beach area and the 15th drowning in that area in the past ten years. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 6/17]
Sandstone District rangers discovered what appeared to be an illegal timbering operation within the park's boundaries on September 25, 1990. A cooperative investigation was begun shortly thereafter involving rangers, the park's land acquisition office, a forester on loan from the Monongahela National Forest, and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division. As of this date, both the loggers and contractor have been identified. Through information obtained by rangers and the forest data computer in the Monongahela NF, investigators have been able to determine that at least 10,500 board feet of hardwood timber with an estimated value of $6,000 was stolen. The method of logging utilized indicates that this was an attempt to cut out high grade, veneerquality trees in a quick operation. Federal surveyors from the Appalachian Trail Conference in Harpers Ferry are scheduled to resurvey the area this month as the last step of the investigation. The Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office has accepted the case and plans to prosecute using West Virginia's triple damage assessment law for timber theft. [Message from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 6/11]
On June 22nd, Secretary Lujan, his wife and the park's superintendent spent four and a half hours floating on the section of the New River between McCreery and Thurmond. Rangers guided the VIP party along the river, which contains stretches of Class II and Class III rapids. The Secretary also ran some Class I and Class II whitewater in an open rubberized kayak. Following the trip, the Secretary and his wife visited the park's new Canyon Rim Visitor Center and met with many park employees. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 6/24]
A number of drug interdiction activities took place in the park during the month of June. On June 3rd, 15th and 18th, rangers employed intelligence gathered through an interagency drug task force in the seizure of a total of 25 highly cultivated marijuana plants. On June 28th, park investigators learned that a house located inside the park was being used as an indoor growing facility. As a result of the subsequent investigation, search warrants for the premises were obtained and executed with the assistance of the Fayette County sheriff's office. A total of 14 plants and 500 seeds were confiscated and arrest warrants were issued for those suspected of having grown the plants. Along with these activities, the park and Fayette County sheriff's office have put in service their jointlyowned, drugtrained, twoyearold German shepherd, Kiwi. The dog, which was trained in Europe and the United States, will be utilized under a cooperative agreement with the sheriff's office. Kiwi's handler is a sergeant for the sheriff's office and a parttime seasonal ranger in the park. During the month of June, Kiwi successfully located marijuana and marijuana seeds on two different occasions, and also made his debut as an educational tool in numerous schools in the county. While not specifically trained to find green, leafy, onthevine marijuana, the dog discovered nine plants in a recent interagency drug raid. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 7/2]
At approximately 4:00 p.m. on the 15th, J.W., 20, of Hinton, West Virginia, entered an eddy pool of the New River 100 yards below Sandstone Falls. J.W., a non-swimmer, did not surface from the pool, which is about eight to twelve feet in depth. A 15-year-old member of his family group saw him disappear; family members notified local residents, who in turn advised the park and local emergency services. A joint search effort was begun employing the incident command system. At the time of the report, participants in the search included the park, a local fire and rescue department, five volunteer fire departments, three search dog teams, and four dive teams. No foul play or alcohol or drug abuse is suspected. Indications are that Waddell slipped or fell into the river. [Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI, via telefax from RAD/MARO, 7/16]
Just before noon on the 16th, ranger Larry Anderson and two local emergency service volunteers found the body of J.W. just below the surface of the New River near an area where to search and rescue dogs had previously alerted. The area was about 100 yards downstream from the point where J.W. had last been seen. The Army Corps of Engineers had closed all 16 gates in the Bluestone Dam at Hinton to provide searchers with six hours of low river levels to aid search efforts. The recovery came about 20 hours after the search began. Approximately 60 people had been committed to the search at the time J.W. 's body was found. [Telefax from Duncan Hollar, Acting CR, NERI, 7/17]
J.S.C., 17, of Victor, West Virginia, was accidentally shot with a .22 caliber pistol while camping with his parents at a primitive site at Koontz Bend on the Gauley River on July 19th. J.S.C. was searching for some items in a bag when the pistol fell out and discharged. The round entered the lower part of his leg near the ankle and lodged behind the knee. J.S.C. is presently in stable condition in Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill. An investigation is underway. [Telefax from Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, 7/22]
Just before 8:00 p.m. on the 24th, R.F. of Beckley, West Virginia, drowned in the New River near Terry. R.F. had been drinking with family and friends and was reported to be extremely intoxicated at the time of the incident. R.F., a non-swimmer, disregarded pleas from another family member to stay away from the river, entered the water, and disappeared almost immediately. Rangers and divers from local ambulance and rescue squads responded and located Farrish in the river about ten feet from shore within 20 minutes of the incident. CPR was begun immediately and continued until the ambulance reached a hospital in Beckley, where R.F. was subsequently pronounced dead. Foul play has not been ruled out at this time, and an investigation by rangers and local sheriff's deputies is underway. [Telefax from Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, 7/25]
Rangers Larry Anderson and Chris Schrader found a plot of 18 marijuana plants growing in the park on July 20th. After conducting an aroundtheclock surveillance operation for 48 hours without results, a decision was made to terminate the operation and remove and destroy the plants. Three more were found in the process for a total of 21. [Telefax from Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, 7/25]
An acid mine runoff in April killed over 500 fish in Wolfe Creek, which runs through the park, and put the town's water treatment plant out of service. The source of the pollution was determined to be an abandoned mine owned by L.L. and run by the Mine Management Corporation. As the magnitude of the pollution became evident, the United States Attorney asked the park and FBI to conduct an investigation into the incident. As a result of this investigation, L.L. was indicted on 18 felony counts for violations of the Clean Water Act on July 24th. The NPS has become the lead investigative agency in exploring other violations of the act; rangers are currently involved in active investigations of five major pollution sources affecting the water quality of streams and rivers within the park's boundaries. The results of one investigation are currently before the U.S. Attorney, and indictments are expected. Indictments are also likely in the remaining investigations. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/4]
Last April, an informant told rangers in the Bluestone Subdistrict that an illegal commercial fishing and hunting guide service was operating out of a small community within the subdistrict. After three months of investigation and surveillance, rangers determined the location, method of operations and ownership of the guide service, known as New River/Greenbrier Bass Unlimited. This information was provided to West Virginia DNR officers and a cooperative undercover fishing trip on the New River was booked with the guide service. The owner of the service, a prominent attorney from the state capital in Charleston, was subsequently arrested. The attorney is vowing to take the case to the state supreme court to test DNR's authority to license and permit guide services on state waters. The park is investigating possible federal charges of illegal commercial operations within the park. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/13]
Rangers arrested two individuals and charged them with timber trespass under 18 USC recently. The U.S. Attorney has accepted the case and will prosecute under the criminal statutes of the law. This is the third timber trespass case in the park investigated by rangers this year. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/2]
Rangers and Fayette County deputies harvested 72 marijuana plants from the park's boundary on August 31st. The plants were being intensively cultivated and had a total estimated value of $144,000. Information leading to the discovery of this plantation was obtained by the joint drug task force of which the park is a member. During the operation, the park's drug dog, Kiwi, alerted on $2,400 in cash, and it was later found that the bills were covered with cocaine residue. The money was accordingly seized. The person who possessed the money was arrested and also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/3]
Rangers received a report of four missing male juveniles, ranging in age from 11 to 16, on the evening of August 31st. The four had last been seen on the Gauley River above a section of Class VI whitewater known as Pillow Rock. Rangers began an urgent search for the group and found them stranded on a rock in the river at 3:00 a.m. the following morning. An effective night rescue was carried out and all parties were safely brought to shore. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/3]
On Labor Day weekend, P.D., 34, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, slipped and fell approximately 35 feet near Styrofoam Falls on Dunlop Creek and suffered severe head injuries and other medical complications. The park mobilized its search and rescue team and effected a successful rescue. P.D. was medevaced by helicopter to Charleston, West Virginia, where she is currently listed in critical condition. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/3]
On the evening of September 3rd, rangers arrested J.R.B., 29, of Fayetteville, West Virginia, and B.D., 41, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, on felony counts of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. J.R.B. and B.D. were seen leaving a marijuana patch which was under surveillance by rangers. They were found to have approximately five pounds of highgrade sensamilla marijuana in their possession. The plantation was found to contain 87 plants, each with a value of about $3,000. Rangers subsequently found an additional 52 plants. The information which lead to the discovery of the plantation was gained through the park's involvement with an interagency drug task force. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/5]
On August 13th, Sandstone District rangers began a criminal investigation of a possible violation of federal statutes governing clean water by a local coal preparation plant owned and operated by Mountain Laurel Resources in Mount Hope. The investigative information and data collected by rangers was shared with the Office of Surface Mining's Branch of Reclamation and Enforcement and with the West Virginia Division of Energy. Following an onsite inspection of the plant by representatives from the two agencies, Mountain Laurel Resources was cited for failing to maintain adequate drainage systems (two counts) and for failing to maintain copies of appropriate inspection data. Rangers will continue monitoring discharges from this plant and will alert OSM of any additional violations. New River Gorge is a member of a joint environmental crimes task force headed by the U.S. attorney's office. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/5]
On September 2nd, rangers working in the Canyon District arrested Jesse and Keith Lester, both of Richmond, Virginia, for illegal collection of ginseng root from the park. The rangers had established surveillance on a suspicious vehicle parked in a remote area of the park known as the Bragg Farm. Although it was initially thought that the car was associated with people involved in a marijuana harvest, they subsequently found the Lesters gathering ginseng. At the time of contact, the two men had enough ginseng in their position to establish that they'd taken over 200 plants. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/6]
On the afternoon of September 21st, R.H., 47, of Baltimore, Maryland, drowned when he became pinned against a submerged rock while kayaking through Lower Railroad Rapid. A commercial rafting outfitter with a radio observed the incident and reported it to his base. Rangers were immediately contacted and responded by both land and river. R.H. was extricated from the river by the outfitter about 20 minutes before the first rangers arrived. Although CPR was initiated, R.H. had already been underwater for approximately 40 minutes. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. [Telefax from Rick Brown, NERI, 9/23]
On September 28th, A.L., 32, of Ronceverte, West Virginia, fell about 30 feet while climbing in the Endless Wall area of the park. A.L. was leading a 5.8 climb when his protection pulled out while he was traversing on an upward angle; he lost his balance, fell on his belay, dislodged a second piece of protection, then fell the remaining distance, landing on his back. Rangers performed a technical litter raising up a 90-foot cliff to evacuate A.L., then carried him another mile to a waiting ambulance. A.L. is presently in stable condition in a local hospital with a compression fracture and torn cartilage to the lumbar vertebrae. [Telefax to Rick Brown, NERI, 9/30]
Vice President Dan Quayle took a raft trip on the upper Gauley River along with his family and friends on September 28th. The park took charge of SAR and EMS responsibilities for the visit on the Class 5+ section of the river and also assisted with security. A unified incident command was set up with the Secret Service and NPS in command of the multiagency event. A local whitewater outfitter took the party down the river; the park supplied two rafts and a kayak as rescue boats and had several rangers stationed along the river for rescue purposes. The trip went very well no rescues were required, and there were no injuries. [Telefax to Rick Brown, NERI, 9/30]
On October 18th, approximately 200,000 people attended Bridge Day, an annual event held on the New River Gorge bridge. Most come each year to watch people parachute from the bridge into the park below. This year, 265 parachutists registered for the event and made over 550 jumps. Sixty-nine jumpers landed in the river below the bridge, and rangers made 34 water rescues during the day. Six parachutists landed in trees; two required technical rescues. Rangers Kinsey Shilling and Scott Kalna were instrumental in rescuing the victims, who were lodged in treetops from 60 to 80 feet above the ground. There were eight injuries requiring transport to the hospital - six leg injuries (one a double compound fracture) and two possible spinal injuries. [Telefax from Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 10/22]
On November 3rd, members of the MAR SET team assigned to the park to enforce area closures due to extreme fire danger arrested J.S.B., 31, of Raleigh, North Carolina, on weapons and drug possession charges. During a routine contact in a closed area, team members observed knives, ammunition and a marijuana pipe in plain view in J.S.B.'s vehicle. "Kiwi", the drug dog purchased by the NPS for the Fayette County drug task force, was brought to the scene and assisted in a search of the vehicle. Along with a small amount of marijuana, rangers found three fully-loaded weapons in J.S.B.'s vehicle - a 9 mm Luger machine pistol, a Model 60 Marlin rifle, and a 16-inch sawed-off shotgun. J.S.B. is a member of a local transient climbing community who spends his summers in the park. He'd been contacted on numerous occasions during the previous two years by New River patrol rangers. The results of a criminal history investigation on Black which was conducted as part of the arrest will be sent to the U.S. attorney's office in support of "Project Triggerlock", a special statewide effort to apprehend and convict persons guilty of felony violations of federal weapons laws. [Telefax from Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI, 11/4]
On the evening of November 8th, rangers received a report from the Fayette County sheriff's department of a missing and possibly suicidal person in the Thurmond area of the park. E.C., 49, of Oak Hill, West Virginia had left a suicide note addressed to his girlfriend in his river cabin in the Thurmond area of the park; when she found the note on the afternoon of the 8th, she notified the sheriff's department. Rangers subsequently learned that E.C., an avid handgun collector, had attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest two years ago, that he had been very despondent recently, and that he was believed to be carrying a revolver with him. A hasty search was conducted of area roads until midnight, but no sign of E.C. was found. The search was resumed at 7:00 a.m. the following morning with a helicopter, dog team and 11 ground searchers (10 of them rangers). Tracks thought to match E.C.'s were found in two different locations about two miles apart. While the search team was conducting a planning meeting at the Thurmond ranger station at 5:30 that afternoon, E.C. was spotted walking toward the station and was intercepted. E.C. did not have a gun at the time, but later told rangers where he hid it before turning himself in. The revolver was found under a boat outside his cabin. E.C. told rangers that he had been hiding out in the woods near the cabin evading searchers since the evening of the 8th and that he had had the revolver with him the entire time. He had considered suicide but decided against it some time during the night or early on the 9th. E.C. was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct until a psychiatric evaluation could be arranged. [Telefax from Rick Brown, NERI, 11/12]
Last spring, an acid mine runoff in Wolf Creek, which runs through the park, killed over 500 fish and threatened water quality for area residents. The U.S. attorney subsequently asked the NPS and FBI to conduct a joint investigation of the incident. On November 15th, L.L. and his company, Mine Management, Inc., were found guilty by a federal jury on 16 felony counts of violating the Federal Clean Water Act. L.L. faces both fines and possible sentences of three years in prison on each count. The case is being viewed as a significant shift in the use of the Clean Water Act. Rangers, FBI agents and members of the U.S. Attorney's Office - all members of an environmental crimes task force - are now investigating two additional environmental crimes involving water quality in the park. Arrests are expected. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 11/20]
At about 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of November 20th, rangers responded to a fire on Highland Mountain. Two park engine crews, a park wildland fire crew, and crews and engines from the state and two local volunteer fire departments were able to contain the fire, which was caused by an arsonist who burned a vehicle at that location. While fighting this blaze, firefighters were called to respond to four more starts near Glade Creek. At the same time, crews at Grandview Park spotted several arsonists setting fires on the Mill Creek Road. Enforcement rangers immediately set up road blocks to prevent them from leaving the area. Following a joint investigation by rangers and FBI agents, three suspects were detained; two of them, J.W.V. and R.M., both of Beaver, West Virginia, were arrested on four counts of wildland arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and driving while intoxicated. The state will also prosecute the pair on all four arson counts. Over 200 acres of park land were burned by the fires. [Telefax from Lizzie Watts, NERI, 11/21]
On November 14th, rangers conducting a surveillance operation for poaching activity observed a vehicle being operated in a suspicious manner and attempted to make a car stop. The driver, E.R.K., refused to stop and fled the scene with rangers in pursuit. E.R.K.'s vehicle left the road on a sharp curve, hit a tree and was totalled. R.A., Jr., a passenger in the vehicle, ran into the woods; E.R.K. was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to stop. No weapons were found in the vehicle, but several new scopes were found. Rangers surmised that R.A., who was still not known by name, took a weapon with him when he fled, an assumption later confirmed by investigators. They also found that both the weapon and scopes were stolen. The investigation into the incident continues. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 11/22]
On November 20th, rangers arrested J.W.V., 37, and R.L.M., 27, both of Beaver, West Virginia, on charges of setting four arson fires within the park. The subsequent investigation involved a number of agencies and several state and federal jurisdictions, but was coordinated by rangers. On December 4th, the men were each indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of arson. A trial date has not yet been set. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, 12/5] December 31, 1991 J.H., 27, of Prinston, West Virginia, fell into the Bluestone River on December 29th, and was last seen attempting to swim near a Class IV rapid known as the "Bear Claw". Rangers are currently coordinating a multi-agency search for J.H. and providing special whitewater craft and personnel. The Bluestone is the major water way of Bluestone NSR, which is patrolled by rangers from New River. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 12/30]
On May 5th, rangers and Fayette County deputies discovered and eradicated a small marijuana plantation containing 19 plants at the north end of the park. These plants were in the same general area in which a large plantation was discovered in 1991. Two local individuals were subsequently arrested in that incident. Information leading to the recent discovery was developed by the interagency drug task force which the park belongs to. [Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 5/8]
In October, 1991, park maintenance workers observed J.W.V. and R.M., both of Beaver, West Virginia, igniting arson fires in several locations in the park's Grandview unit. Responding rangers arrested both men as they were leaving the scene and subsequently charged them with four felony arson counts under 18 USC 1855. A total of 75 acres burned in the four separate fires they started. On Friday, May 1st, both men pled guilty to four misdemeanor federal charges (stemming from a plea agreement) in district court in Charleston, West Virginia. As part of the plea arrangement, it was stipulated that the district court would not be bound by the federal misdemeanor sentencing guidelines. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 16th. [Telefax from Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI, 5/18]
On the afternoon of May 9th, C.T., 34, of Stanford, Virginia, and three others fell out of a commercial raft in the Class V Middle Keeney Rapid. Two men who fell out were immediately pulled back into the raft; C.T. and another women were swept away from the raft and toward Lower Keeney Rapid, also rated as a Class V rapid. Although the other woman made it through and was picked up by another raft, C.T. was swept into a rock and log "strainer" at the head of the rapid and was pinned underwater. Commercial guides on the scene attempted to rescue her and contacted the park by radio. Rangers responded by raft, motorboat and overland. Whitewater guides employed several rescue techniques and finally freed C.T. after she had been submerged in the river for about 50 minutes. Since she was picked up by people who did not know how long she'd been underwater, CPR was begun and continued on shore. Rangers arrived about 10 minutes after CPR was begun and continued resuscitation efforts while preparing to evacuate C.T.. A HealthNet Aero Medical Helicopter Service helicopter arrived on scene, landing on a large rock in the middle of the river, and medivaced her to a hospital in Beckley. Resuscitation efforts were continued in the hospital for about 45 minutes before she was pronounced dead. This was the first drowning of the season in the park. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 5/18]
G.B., 23, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, fell about 50 feet while lead climbing "The Undeserved" route in the Endless Wall area around 3:00 p.m. on the afternoon of June 13th. Another climber ran out for help and reported the incident to rangers 45 minutes later. The park's SAR team responded, provided initial treatment for G.B.'s injuries, and extricated him by a 90-foot vertical litter raise directly above the accident site. The litter raise was completed just before 6:00 p.m., and medical treatment was transferred over to a flight paramedic crew from HealthNet Aero Medical Services. Rangers then evacuated the patient overland to a waiting ambulance. At 6:30 p.m., G.B. was loaded into a waiting HealthNet helicopter and taken to a nearby medical center. G.B. sustained fractured vertebrae in the thoracic and lumbar region, head injuries, and fractures to his pelvis, wrist and lower leg. He is presently in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery. [Fax from Rick Brown, Canyon DR, NERI, 6/16]
On November 3, 1991, members of the regional SET team assigned to the park to enforce area closures due to extreme fire danger arrested J.B., 31, of Raleigh, north Carolina, on weapons and drug possession charges. Along with a small amount of marijuana, rangers found three fully-loaded weapons in J.B.'s vehicle - a 9 mm Luger machine pistol, a Model 60 Marlin rifle, and a 16-gauge sawed-off shotgun. J.B., a member of a local transient climbing community, had been contacted on numerous occasions during the previous two years by New River rangers. On June 16th, following a joint investigation by rangers and ATF agents, J.B. was indicted on one count of possession of a sawed-off shotgun and one count of possession of a firearm without a serial number. J.B. previously pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. [Chris Schraeder, CI, NERI, 6/18]
On June 19th, a District Court judge sentenced J.V., 37, and R.M., 27, both of Beaver, West Virginia, for four arson fires which they set in the Grandview area of the park last November. Both men were ordered to serve three months and a day in jail on the first count and three months on each of the other counts, and the judge also ordered that the sentences be served consecutively. The pair had been charged in April on four misdemeanor counts under 18 USC 1856 (Fires left unattended and unextinguished) following an investigation by rangers. Both had been intoxicated at the time the fires were started. [Chris Schraeder, CI, NERI, 6/23]
At about 11:00 p.m. on July 11th, a two-vehicle MVA occurred at the entrance to the park's Grandview Unit which killed two people. A 16-year-old male juvenile was operating a Chevy Cavalier with E.B., 19, as a passenger. The vehicle crossed the opposing lane in a curve at a high rate of speed, hit a rock embankment, recrossed the opposing lane, and was hit head on by a pickup truck with five occupants. Rangers from Grandview were the first emergency service responders on scene and provided life support for an extended period of time before local ambulance and fire department units arrived. Both occupants in the Cavalier, neither of whom were wearing seatbelts, were ejected from the vehicle and suffered severe multiple trauma injuries. The occupants of the pickup suffered only minor injuries. Because of heavy fog, a lifeflight helicopter which was 20 minutes away in Charleston could not respond. E.B. was pronounced dead at a local hospital, and the juvenile died in the Charleston Area Medical Center on July 18th. State troopers' preliminary estimates indicate that the Cavalier was travelling between 90 and 100 mph when it initially left the road. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 7/21]
At 11:00 p.m. on July 20th, park visitor S.S. returned to his vehicle at Cunard Landing after hearing a loud noise and found that a person had broken his car window and was stealing items from the vehicle. When S.S. asked the individual, later identified as D.G., 35, what he was doing, D.G. put his hand in his pocket, told S.S. that he had a knife, and threatened to use it on S.S.. S.S. nonetheless asked D.G. to give back his belongings; D.G. threw a few items on the ground, put the rest in his truck, and drove off. He returned a few minutes later, threatened S.S. again and told him to forget that the incident ever happened. D.G. drove up the road, stopped about 50 yards away, turned his headlights on S.S. for about five minutes, then left the area. S.S. reported the incident the next day. He provided rangers with the truck's registration number and descriptions of both D.G. and the vehicle. Ranger Tony Liguori worked closely with Fayette County officers to identify D.G.. A search warrant was obtained for D.G.'s residence on July 25th. During the search, rangers identified and recovered items taken from S.S.'s vehicle, and also discovered items incidental to two other car clouts which occurred in the park's Stonecliff Beach area - one of four park areas in the Canyon District which had been hit by a series of 11 car clouts over the previous four months. Further information was obtained indicating that D.G. may have been storing stolen property at his mother's residence, and a consent search was conducted of her house the next day. Rangers found items from three other car clouting incidents, two from the series of 11 reported above, one from another park car clout. Later that day, D.G. was arrested and charged with grand larceny and released on a $10,000 bond. Charges of aggravated burglary, tampering, vandalism and three other counts of grand larceny are pending. D.G. was arrested at Stonecliff Beach after completing a whitewater rafting trip. He had accepted a fee to take a group of nine people downriver, and was subsequently cited by West Virginia DNR officers for illegally conducting a commercial operation without a permit. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 7/27]
A film company from Santa Monica, California, filmed a stunt involving the bungee dropping of a GMC truck off the New River Gorge bridge over the three-day period from July 23rd to the 25th. Since the stunt, which was being done for a television commercial, took place above the park, special safety precautions on the river and adjacent lands had to be developed and carried out to ensure safe passage for thousands of whitewater rafters. Because the event attracted large crowds, the park joined with local police and EMS personnel under the incident command system to manage crowds and traffic and provide necessary emergency services. All expenses associated with the incident command operation were covered under a special use permit, whereby the film company was charged for all related overtime, regular time and administrative costs. The three days of filming were uneventful except for one major medical incident in which rangers rescued a visitor who fell 50 feet and suffered internal and back injuries. The victim was evacuated to the nearest landing zone and taken by air ambulance to a local hospital. [Regina Carrico, NERI, 7/28]
On June 3rd, rangers, acting on a report from a confidential source, discovered 19 marijuana plants growing in the Garden Ground area, an outlying section of the park. A remote sensing video camera was set up to monitor the site and record the time and date of any visit to the plot. The batteries and video tape were changed weekly over the next several weeks. When rangers visited the site on July 11th, it appeared that weeds had been removed from around the plants. The video revealed two persons tending the plants on July 9th, but the camera had shifted and only the top parts of their heads were visible. Rangers again visited the site on July 28th; this time, they found the camera, which had been buried on the ground, lying in the open and out of the hole in which it had been hidden. The radio antenna on top of the waterproof container was bent over, and it appeared that someone had stomped on it. The camera and sensor units, however, were intact and undamaged. The video tape showed that one person had visited the site on July 18th and was tending the plants there, but the person was unidentifiable. Rangers are working with local authorities to identify the suspect. The investigation is continuing. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 8/12]
An interagency team comprised of park personnel, Beckley City officers and DEA agents successfully concluded a month-long drug operation on August 13th with the arrest of L.G. of Beckley, West Virginia, in the Grandview Subdistrict. Patrol rangers provided initial information on L.G., who has a history of drug use, drug dealing and violence, and investigators subsequently identified him as a suspect in drug deals both in and out of the park. Mid-Atlantic Regional Office funded a covert/surveillance operation against L.G.; the park's criminal investigators gathered additional information on him, and subsequently brought in Beckley City police and DEA. On August 13th, L.G. purchased a pound of processed marijuana from an undercover park investigator and was arrested. The marijuana had been provided by DEA, and the reverse buy operation had been approved by the U.S. attorney's anti-drug task force. The team also confiscated $1,000 in cash and L.G.'s new Ford Ranger pickup. Several federal charges are pending against him, including possession with intent to distribute. Park investigators have obtained additional information which will lead to the search of two residences used by L.G.. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 8/13]
Rangers participated in a major marijuana eradication effort in New River Gorge, Gauley River and surrounding counties during the period from August 10th to the 12th. The effort was jointly coordinated by the park, Fayette County sheriff's department and state police; a helicopter from the Wood County sheriff's department, operating under a federal grant, was used to locate marijuana plantations throughout the area. Over the three-day period, nine sites containing 96 plants were found inside and outside the two park areas. A ground crew made up of rangers, deputies and troopers then moved in and eradicated the plants. No arrests were made, but some leads are currently being pursued. Two notable incidents occurred during the operation. On the 11th, a helicopter observer spotted marijuana plants along a power line. As the helicopter turned back, the observer saw one man run from a suspect residence toward the plot and a second jump on a tractor with a bush hog attached and race across a field. They next saw the tractor along the edge of the power line, where it was pulling the bush hog very quickly along a section about 50 yards long. The tractor then returned to the point where it was originally parked and the driver returned to the house. The observer and pilot were unable to find any marijuana plants when the returned to scout the site that the tractor had mowed. On August 12th, the pilot of the helicopter and a ranger serving as an aerial observer saw a man at a suspected farm on the boundary of Gauley River lay what appeared to be a pistol on the hood of his truck and aim it at the helicopter. The pilot immediately left the area and reported the incident to the ground crew. The owner of the farm is known to have grown marijuana in the past, has a history of violent behavior, and has made verbal threats against police officers in the past. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 8/17]
Following the Arrest of L.G. on drug trafficking charges on August 13th, rangers, DEA agents and Beckley City narcotics officers executed a search warrant at his home. They found a small amount of marijuana, valium pills (L.G. was reportedly selling valium), and five guns, including a loaded 9mm, a .357 handgun, and a 12 gauge shotgun. All but two of the weapons were found in the bedroom with the drugs. The narcotics officers also arrested L.G.'s girlfriend, S.M., on charges which were developed from information gained at L.G.'s arrest. Additional arrests are expected. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 8/18]
Early on the afternoon of August 19th, rangers responded to a report that a 14-year-old girl had seriously injured herself while whitewater rafting in the lower gorge of the New River. Due to the location of the incident, land-based rangers were able to quickly respond, while at the same time requesting a helicopter for evacuation. Rangers were on scene in 40 minutes and began EMS treatment and evacuation. Other rangers assisted in getting local ALS personnel on scene and established a landing zone for the helicopter. At one point during the evacuation, EMS personnel had to administer artificial respiration to the victim. She was taken to a waiting park vehicle, transported out of the gorge to a helicopter, then flown to a nearby trauma center, where she's now reported to be in stable condition. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 8/20]
The historic Ashley Plumley house, located in the community of Quinnimont within the park, burned to the ground on July 25th. Rangers and two responding fire departments arrived within minutes, but the structure was fully involved and completely destroyed. The structure, which is owned by the NPS, had been vacant and boarded up for the past five years. The reporting party stated that the building was first seen burning in the second story rear. Investigation revealed that the NPS lock on the structure had been broken, and the focus of the follow-up investigation is on a group of local residents who were repeatedly seen in the area just prior to and several times during the fire. Some of them have prior convictions in state courts for burning abandoned buildings. One is a relative of the house's last resident. Rangers also learned that the house was apparently used by a homeless member of the community on weekends, and that lights had been seen upstairs in the house late at night. The house, which was built in the late 1800s, was the central feature of the park's Quinnimont Historic District, and its loss jeopardizes the entire cultural landscape of Quinnimont and cultural aspects of the DCP planning process now underway for the Middle Gorge of the park. [Duncan Holler, NERI, 8/4 - Editor's Note: The report was received via fax on 8/4, the day it went out of service, and remained in the machine's memory until yesterday, when it at last came back on line]
The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously upheld the conviction of the owner of an engineering firm who allowed acid mine drainage to seep into two creeks, thereby affecting park resources for more than ten years. L.L. and his company, Mine Management, Inc., were each convicted of 16 felony accounts of violations of the Federal Clean Water Act in U.S. District Court in November, 1991. The appellate court affirmed those convictions. In January, L.L. was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $80,000, and the company was fined another $80,000. Rangers from New River Gorge worked with an environmental crimes task force in both the investigation and prosecution of the case. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 10/12]
Bridge Day, an annual event in the park, occurred on October 17th and attracted about 200,000 visitors. Although many visited the visitor center and other areas of the park, parachutists jumping from the 876-foot-high bridge were the main attraction. Just under 300 parachutists made 550 jumps; 44 landed in the river below the bridge, and rangers made 29 water rescues during the day. Two others landed in trees. Eleven injuries occurred which required transport of the victims to the hospital. Two of these were serious leg injuries. [Kinsey Shilling, CR, NERI, 10/19]
On November 3, 1991, members of the MAR SET team assigned to the park to enforce area closures due to extreme fire danger arrested J.S.B., 31, of Raleigh, North Carolina, on weapons and drug possession charges. During a routine contact in a closed area, team members observed knives, ammunition and a marijuana pipe in plain view in J.S.B.'s vehicle. "Kiwi", the drug dog purchased by the NPS for the Fayette County drug task force, was brought to the scene and assisted in a search of the vehicle. Along with a small amount of marijuana, rangers found three fully-loaded weapons in J.S.B.'s vehicle - a 9 mm Luger machine pistol, a Model 60 Marlin rifle, and a 16-inch sawed-off shotgun. On October 30th, J.S.B., who had already pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor of a controlled substance, entered a guilty plea to one count of possession of a sawed-off shotgun (26 USC 5861D). Sentencing is scheduled for January 6th. [Christopher Schrader, CI, NERI, 11/16]
On the afternoon of Thursday, December 3rd, Bluestone Subdistrict rangers learned of a search in progress for an overdue hunter on land inside the boundary of Bluestone NSR, which is administered by the park. The hunter, S.F., 22, of Princeton, West Virginia, had been missing since Wednesday afternoon, when he failed to return from hunting at a deer stand in the area. That same afternoon, a storm deposited from two to four inches of snow in the area and dropped temperatures into the teens. S.F.'s family did not notify authorities until late on Wednesday, after their own search proved fruitless. Rangers and an NPS contract helicopter joined the search effort at 6 a.m. on Friday morning. Temperatures remained in the teens and low twenties, and forecasters predicted another six inches of snow within 24 hours. Park search teams established voice contact with S.F. at 4 p.m. that afternoon, but were unable to locate him due to the rugged terrain and snow despite efforts that continued through the night. On Saturday morning, teams continued their attempts to gain access to the gorge and cliff band area where he appeared to be located, and an NPS searcher finally located him in a small cave under a cliff. Even though S.F. had no food, water or fire for 67 hours and had only a pair of insulated coveralls for protection during the adverse weather, he was found in fairly good condition, with only a minor hip injury and severely swollen feet. He was evacuated to a helicopter landing zone which had been cleared by chainsaws on private land, then flown to a waiting ambulance for transport to a hospital in Princeton. S.F. was released from the hospital after only a six-hour observation period. A unified command comprised of representatives from the park, state DNR and county emergency services provided overhead for the search, which included personnel from those agencies, state park and forestry divisions and local SAR units. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 12/6]
The investigation of a park employee for false and fraudulent claims of time, attendance and per diem records culminated on December 16th with a pre-trial agreement in which the individual will be on probation for a period of one year, during which time restitution will be made to the government. If the debt is not repaid or the individual participates in any criminal activity during that time, the U.S. Attorney's Office will proceed with criminal charges on all counts. The investigation of the employee began last March. Rangers subsequently found that, during the period from August, 1991, to March 15, 1992, the individual was AWOL from his duty station for at least 15 days, had falsified time and attendance records for those days, and had also falsified per diem reports for at least 21 days during this same period of time. The monetary loss to the government totaled $2,165.32. On March 12th, investigating rangers anticipated that the suspect would be AWOL from his duty station in the park to go home to Florida for the weekend. They followed him as far as Wytheville, Virginia, and observed him continuing south on Interstate 77. The next day, rangers from Fort Caroline conducted a plain clothes surveillance of the suspect's residence in Jacksonville and spotted his vehicle there. The vehicle was the same one which New River rangers had followed into Virginia the previous day. The individual has since been fired. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 12/28]
On January 16th, a ranger on backcountry foot patrol discovered evidence of a timbering operation on park property on the rim of Dunloup Creek Gorge. Investigation revealed that approximately 75 acres were logged and over 500 trees had been taken, all between 20 and 41 inches in stump diameter. Timber haul roads had been constructed through about 7,000 feet of park property with heavy equipment. Assessments are being made to determine if any historic and/or archeological resources in the area were damaged or destroyed. The person who logged the area, Richard Lee Bailey of Oak Hill, West Virginia, was interviewed by rangers and admitted to building the logging roads in the area and removing the timber for commercial profit. Bailey maintains that he had a timber lease on an adjacent property owner's tract, that he was logging the leased timber, and that he was unaware of any NPS property in the area. He has been charged with theft of government property (18 USC 661), cutting or injuring trees (18 USC 1853), and removal or transportation of timber (18 USC). The Forest Service is assisting the park in efforts to determine the value of the stolen timber and the cost of restitution. The U.S. attorney's office has accepted the case and will seek restitution for the value of the timber, site rehabilitation, boundary survey costs, timber cruise costs, and any other costs associated with the investigation. The park will use recovered funds to set up an environmental protection account for use on future incidents. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 2/5]
The park received a mutual aid request for assistance on a wildland fire in the Piney Creek drainage in the middle section of the park on February 3rd. At the time of the request, the fire was within a quarter mile of the park's boundary and was threatening structures. The fire was well within the park's initial attack zone, and eight park firefighters responded with two Type VII engines. The fire was held to 12 acres, but not before it burned two structures valued at $17,000. This was the second fire of the day (the first was 30 acres) for park fire crews, and the third in two days. Conditions in the area have been very dry and windy; 32 wildland fires occurred in the counties surrounding the park in the first four days of the month. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 2/5]
On January 14th, L.G. was sentenced in Federal district court to 16 months in prison, a $2,000 fine and three years of supervised release. L.G. had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana following his arrest last August for drug deals which took place both within and outside the park. L.G., who has a history of drug use, drug dealing and violence, was committed to the custody of the U.S. Marshal at the time of the hearing because of threats he made against a witness in the case. [Duncan Hollar, CI, NERI, 2/9]
On the afternoon of March 20th, T.G. and J.V. set out on a seven-mile kayaking trip down a very steep run from Glade Creek in Babcock State Park through Manns Creek to the New River. Following the trip, they planned on carrying their kayaks back up a steep trail to Babcock, where their shuttle vehicle was waiting. This was the first time the pair had seen the creeks; because of the steep and rugged run, the trip required more scouting and portaging then anticipated, so the two men did not arrive at the confluence with the New River until well after dark. They decided to walk out but were unable to agree on the best route to take. T.G. decided to walk straight up the mountain through the woods back toward Babcock, while J.V. walked upriver toward Thurmond along the railroad right-of-way paralleling the river. J.V. reached Thurmond around 11 p.m. and reported T.G. still missing. Rangers were contacted about 45 minutes later and began making plans for a search operation. At 7:45 a.m. the next day, rangers found him near the top of the gorge about two miles south of the state park. T.G. had been hiking around in circles all night, and had carried his kayak and gear up the steep canyon with him. Although tired, thirsty and hungry, he was otherwise in good shape. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 3/26]
While participating in the above search at about 5 a.m. on the 21st, ranger Kinsey Shilling discovered a rock slide along a main CSX railroad line. Shilling had driven down the railroad right-of-way toward Sewell about a half hour previously and was headed back toward Thurmond when he discovered the access road blocked by the slide. Due to the recent wet weather, a huge boulder - about twelve by eight by eight feet - had torn loose from a point near the top of the gorge and rolled down the canyon, hitting the tracks and bending the rails. Shilling immediately radioed dispatch, who contacted CSX dispatch by phone. Trains on the track were immediately contacted and alerted about the hazard. Within ten minutes of Shilling's discovery, a coal train over a mile long and powered by four engines approached the scene of the slide, but the engineer was able to stop well ahead of time because of the warning he'd received. The engineer praised Shilling for his quick report and stated that the bent track would have definitely derailed the train. A second train arrived on the scene behind the first one within 20 minutes of the initial report. Shilling's prompt action very likely prevented either a second derailing or a collision between the two trains. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 3/26]
Just before 6 p.m. on May 8th, T.D.E., 25, of Charleston, was killed when she was hit by a train in the Keeney Creek area of the park. T.D.E. and M.W., 24, of Shrewsbury, had been fishing on the river and were walking along the tracks with their dog when the train approached from behind them, coming around a slight curve. T.D.E. and M.W. stepped off opposite sides of the railroad, but the dog remained in the middle of the tracks. T.D.E. went back on the tracks to get the dog and M.W. leaned over to try to pull her off. The train hit all three at approximately the same time. T.D.E. was thrown approximately 40 feet over an embankment and apparently was killed instantly. M.W. was thrown about 15 feet and suffered severe head injuries and other major trauma. The dog was killed. Rangers responded and provided medical treatment to M.W. and utilized a CSX highrailer as an evacuation vehicle. M.W. was taken to Fayette Landing by the highrailer, then to a helispot at Canyon Rim visitor center, where he was evacuated by helicopter to Charleston Area Medical Center for treatment. He remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit. The freight train was approximately 150 cars long and was empty at the time of the accident. It took the conductor about a thousand feet to bring the train to a stop after the accident. A joint investigation by rangers and state police is underway. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, and newspaper reports, 5/10]
On the evening of May 28th, D.S., 43, was fishing in the New River near Wylie Falls when he apparently stepped into deep water. Despite an attempt at rescue by his companion, D.S. disappeared under the water and did not reappear. Mercer County emergency services personnel requested park help in the search and recovery effort. A rescue Cataraft with a two-person crew was dispatched to the scene, which was outside the park's boundary. Search efforts continued until May 31st, when the body was recovered a short distance from the point last seen. [Dave Bartlett, SDR, NERI, 6/2]
An apparent hazardous material spill upstream from the park on June 12th caused several fish kills. The park accordingly put out signs advising visitors and staff of possible hazards and began documenting potential spill impacts on park resources. All appropriate parties were notified. No further details are currently available. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 6/12]
A.T., 27, of Charleston, West Virginia, suffered a fractured knee while swimming in the New River near Fayette Station around 10:30 p.m. on June 10th. A.T. was swimming alone in the river just above Fayette Station Rapid (a Class IV rapid) and was swept downstream by the current. He was able to make it to shore just before being swept through the rapid. As he was exiting the river, he struck his leg on rocks near the shoreline and severely fractured his knee. A.T. then climbed on an exposed rock near the shoreline and began shouting for help. A party camping on the opposite side of the river heard him and went to his aid. After finding him, they called for assistance. Rangers and local rescue squads responded, provided EMS and stabilized his injuries. Rangers conducted a technical rescue up the steep bank to the railroad tracks and used a homemade rail cart to transport him to an ambulance. CSX Railroad helped out by holding all traffic on the tracks until the rescue was completed. A.T. was taken to a local hospital, where he received treatment. It was later determined that A.T. had earlier been jumping from the 75-foot-high Fayette Station Bridge, and he admitted that he'd been drinking at the time of the incident. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 6/20]
On June 19th, several members of a group of twelve people camping in Brooklyn Bottom, including five Marines, passed through an adjacent camp occupied by two couples over the period of about an hour while en route to the New River to fish. One of them entered the camp just to talk and be social. During the conversation, J.R., 39, of Piney View, West Virginia, told the person to leave and that he wanted the entire group to pack up and leave the area. J.R. became increasingly belligerent; there were some verbal confrontations with other members of the twelve-person party, during which J.R. made threats and ordered them out of the area. J.R. then took up a shotgun, brandished it, made more threats, and fired it in the general direction of all twelve members of the party. Although no one was hit by the blast and there were no other injuries during the confrontation, the group immediately packed up and left the area. After receiving a report of the incident, rangers responded and investigated. J.R. was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a firearm, and possession and use of a firearm. The incident is still under investigation. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 6/20]
On June 19th, local FBI agents requested the assistance of rangers in an on- going homicide investigation. Recent information from Gadsden County, Florida, led agents to believe that the body of J.T.M., 32, of Apollo, Pennsylvania, was inside the park. Late on the morning of June 19th, a combined team of FBI agents and Fayette and Raleigh County investigators found J.T.M.'s body adjacent to the park's boundary in the Garden Ground area of the Grandview Subdistrict. Two local residents - S.P., 31, of Eccles, and K.A.A., 37, of Oak Hill - were arrested in Jacksonville, Florida. K.A.A. confessed to the crime and provided directions to the body. J.T.M.'s body was deposited in the area on June 12th, the same night that rangers recovered two stolen vehicles and arrested two individuals at the same location. Probability is high that rangers were in the area recovering the stolen vehicles during the time that the couple drove into the area to dispose of J.T.M.'s body. [Duncan Hollar, Acting CR, NERI, 6/20]
B.B. of Fremont, Ohio, was rafting with a local outfitter on the afternoon of June 21st when she injured her neck when she was thrown against another passenger while negotiating a Class IV rapid. Rangers responded, placed B.B. in a stokes basket, and belayed her up a low angle slope from the river's edge to the railroad tracks above. She was then transferred to a CSX highrailer and taken to an awaiting ambulance, where she was transported to a local hospital for treatment. [Kinsey Shilling, SDR, NERI, 6/23]
At about 1:15 p.m. on July 3rd, S.H., 17, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, fell from a 70-foot high cliff in the Kaymoor I area of the park. S.H. and two companions had been hiking in the area all morning. He left the established trails and was scrambling around near the top of the cliff when he slipped on wet leaves and tumbled down the near vertical slope. A ranger who was on backcountry patrol in the immediate area at the time responded to his cries for help and arrived within five minutes of the fall. Rangers and members of a local ambulance squad provided emergency medical support. The park's SAR team conducted a talus belay and steep overland litter evacuation of about a half mile to the waiting ambulance. S.H. was taken to a local hospital and treated for possible fractures of an arm and both legs, head trauma with lacerations, and possible internal injuries. [Rick Brown, Canyon DR, NERI, 7/6]
On August 10th and 11th, NPS investigators, rangers and members of the Raleigh County regional drug task force executed a number of search warrants in the park, arrested four people on state felony drug charges, and arrested two additional people on federal drug charges. One of those arrested on federal charges had previously done prison time for murder. During the investigation and subsequent arrests, approximately 30 pounds of processed marijuana valued at about $100,000 was seized. Drug paraphernalia and three firearms, including a 9mm machine pistol, were also confiscated. Further seizures of property, possibly including cars and/or buildings, may be forthcoming. This case originated through the observations and initial investigations of patrol rangers working out of the park's Grandview Subdistrict. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 8/12]
Around 9:30 a.m. on the morning of August 19th, rangers received a report of a man - later identified as J.G. of Fayetteville, West Virginia - shooting a sawed-off shotgun and threatening people in the Cunard Landing area along the New River. Maintenance worker F.B. contacted rangers by radio and kept J.G., who was on foot, in sight for approximately 30 minutes until rangers arrived on scene. Without F.B.'s prompt action, J.G. would have escaped. J.G. was apprehended by rangers just after 11 a.m. He was found to be in possession of a ten-inch filet knife and a sawed-off 7.62mm rifle (originally reported as a shotgun) with one round in the chamber. The rifle, which had a barrel length of just under nine inches and an overall length of just under 19 inches, was being carried in a small suitcase/box. J.G. also had pornographic magazines and girl's underpants in his possession. Upon investigation, it was learned that J.G. is a convicted felon with charges of gross sexual imposition against him in the state of Ohio, that he's been arrested in the past for rape and kidnapping, and that he's a member of the Hell's Angels. J.G. has been charged with possession of an illegal firearm, which is a felony; he'll also be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, threatening, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rangers are investigating the possibility of a sexual assault which may have occurred the night before, when J.G. allegedly accosted two women campers in the Cunard area. It was this incident that led to his use of the illegal weapon. [Rick Brown, NERI, 8/22]
Rangers assisted several state and local law enforcement agencies in a search of the New River Gorge area for two fleeing murderers for three days last week. C.S. and B.H. escaped from the Huttonsville correctional facility while on a work detail on August 11th, and subsequently committed three execution-style murders in the northern part of the state. They fled in a vehicle after the second murder incident, in which a husband and wife were killed, then abandoned it in a wooded area on the rim of New River Gorge on August 25th. A major manhunt was begun, but was canceled on the 27th when it was learned that the two escapees had kidnapped three people and fled the area. The three people were eventually released unharmed near Petersburg, West Virginia, and the manhunt was continued in that area. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 8/27]
Around 12:30 a.m. on August 22nd, rangers responded to a report of a structural fire in the town of Thurmond and found that the historical railroad repair building was fully involved and threatening other historical structures nearby. Due to the limited amounts of water available, structural engines from Oak Hill concentrated on saving the threatened historical structures while the engine house burned to the ground. The railroad repair building was under lease to the NPS from the CSX Corporation. Acquisition was pending. The building was considered a key to the historical interpretation of the town and was one of the planned center pieces in the NPS development of Thurmond. Since there were no utilities connected to the building, the fire is being treated as arson and an investigation is underway. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 8/25]
On August 16th, rangers and state conservation officers arrested six Asian and three Hispanic subjects and seized more than 150 pounds of fresh water mussels being taken from the New River near Hinton. All nine pleaded guilty to illegal possession of fresh water mussels and were ordered to pay more than $4,800 in fines and court costs. The fines were paid in cash the same day. It was subsequently determined that the three Hispanic subjects were in the country illegally. Information and evidence found at the scene indicate possible connections with interstate or international trade in other types of wildlife or wildlife parts. Trade in illegally-taken mussels in the Tennessee and Ohio River drainages has become big business in recent years. The collectors, motivated by high profits, recently moved into the New River area. The investigation is continuing. [Dave Bartlett, SDR, NERI, 8/31]
During the last two weeks of August, rangers and district investigators in the park's Sandstone District were involved in or assisted with the eradication of 442 plants in three separate plots in and around the park. All the operations were conducted in conjunction with the Raleigh and Fayette county drug task forces. The value of the plants was placed at $909,000. Surveillance was conducted on two of the plots for several days, but no arrests were made. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 9/7]
On the afternoon of September 19th, J.B., a 25-year-old rock climber from St. Clairsville, Ohio, fell approximately 20 feet from a cliff in the Central Endless Wall climbing area. J.B. was leading a 5.10 climb called "Total Eclipse" at the time of the fall. His belay arrested his fall, but not before he landed on a ledge feet first and severely fractured his lower leg. He also suffered possible back injuries and minor head injuries in the fall. J.B. was lowered to the bottom by his climbing companions, and a runner was sent out for help. An interagency rescue/medical team stabilized his injuries, then lifted his litter vertically up the 110-foot cliff and carried him to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. [Rick Brown, Canyon DR, NERI, 9/22]
On September 17th, rangers responded to a report of a pinned boat with an injured passenger below Insignificant Rapid on the Gauley River. A female rafter was treated for a knee injury and carried out through steep and rocky terrain to a waiting ambulance. The investigation led to the arrest of a rafter for operating a commercial activity without a permit in violation of both state and federal law. [Greg Malcolm, Gauley SDR, NERI, 9/22]
Rangers responded to a report of a missing fisherman on the Lower Gauley River in the Peter's Creek area at 2:40 a.m. on September 17th. A hasty search was conducted until daylight, when a thorough bank and river search was begun. The water flow for the Gauley was delayed for 90 minutes at the Summersville Dam in order to lower the river level. Employees from the park, Corps of Engineers, and West Virginia DNR took part in the search effort. Divers located the body of T.S. just after noon. The incident is still being investigated. [Greg Malcolm, Gauley SDR, NERI, 9/22]
On September 18th, rangers conducted 14 water rescues on the Gauley River, two of them particularly significant. A rafter was injured that morning when he fell out of his boat below Initiation Rapids. Rangers treated him, then carried him out through steep and rocky terrain. At 1:30 p.m., rangers responded to another major medical incident, this time at Sweets Falls. A rafter had fallen 15 feet from a cliff and had landed on a rock. He was treated for external injuries and was carried out. Both victims probably suffered spinal injuries. [Greg Malcolm, Gauley SDR, NERI, 9/22]
On October 19th, three hunters from the Terry, West Virginia area were hunting along the Admin Road leading down from Grandview when one of them - 27-year-old T.H. - was shot in the head and killed under circumstances that are not yet clear. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. and was reported by the other hunters about two hours later. A rope litter raising was used to recover T.H.'s body from the bottom of a steep ravine. The family of the victim arrived on scene at this time, and the victim's brother, who was intoxicated, had to be arrested for obstructing the investigation. T.H.'s father threatened to kill the man who he thinks killed his son. It appears from the evidence at the scene that the victim was illegally turkey hunting and had been drinking. The weapon involved in the incident has not been recovered. An investigation is underway. [Bob Reid, RAD/MARO, 10/20]
On October 19th, T.H., 27, was killed while hunting in the park with two companions. Two days later, rangers arrested W.G., Sr., of Terry, West Virginia, for negligent shooting and hunting without a license. The investigation into T.H.'s death is continuing; further charges may be forthcoming. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 10/21]
Bridge Day was held on October 16th at the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia. The annual event drew a crowd to the area estimated at over 125,000. The event has international fame for its high adventure activities, including parachuting, bungee jumping and rappelling off the bridge. During the period between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., 458 registered BASE jumpers made a total of 502 parachute jumps from the bridge, approximately 125 rappellers ascended and descended distances from 600 to 800 feet, and a world record bungee jump was made. A total of 102 parachutists landed in the park and required rescue by NPS personnel. There were 13 injuries from BASE jumping accidents, including nine that required transport to and treatment at a local hospital. The bungee jump was made by seven people in a custom-made metal basket which plunged about 850 feet into the gorge to a point about 25 feet above the river before springing back. One injury occurred from the jump when the bungee basket did not release properly and trapped one of the participants between one of the bridle ropes and the basket. This person suffered severe rope burns across the chest and shoulder and was taken to a local hospital. The worst injury of the day occurred when an 18-year-old male fell about 25 feet from a cliff face in the area of the bridge buttress while free climbing. He suffered a fractured thoracic vertebrae and his spinal cord was severed; he's expected to remain permanently paralyzed from the fracture point down. The Mid- Atlantic Region's all-risk management (ARM) team participated in the management of the event for the first time. The event went very smoothly, relatively speaking, with few major injuries to participants and none to the over 35 NPS employees involved in rescue operations, EMS and law enforcement. One contracted boat rescuer was injured when his thumb got caught in the bight of a parachute cord and was severed while rescuing a parachutist from the river. [Rick Brown, Canyon DR, NERI, 10/22]
During the last week of October, Paramount Pictures completed filming a portion of the film "Lassie" in the park. The movie, which is scheduled for national release next summer, was completed under a special use permit; associated activities were approved in advance by the park's resource management specialist. The filming was conducted in the Sandstone Falls area and will depict the rescue of "Matt" by Lassie before she's washed over the falls. About 100 cast and crew members were present each day of the filming, including a caterer from Hollywood. All activities were monitored by a ranger during each 12-hour filming period. Local residents and visitors were allowed on the set during filming, so there was a positive response to the filming project from the surrounding communities. The company reimbursed the Service for all NPS expenses incurred during the production. There were no significant impacts to park resources. [Duncan Hollar, NERI, 11/10]
Two reports of closures due to heavy snow, wind and rain along the East Coast have been received; others will appear tomorrow: New River Gorge - The park's headquarters and facilities were closed yesterday due to heavy snow in Raleigh and Fayette counties. x [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM; Bill Blake, CR, NERI; 1/4]
On the evening of February 1st, rangers and Fayette County sheriff's deputies responded to an accident at North Fayette Station in which a train struck a vehicle. Neither the driver, Belina Secrist, 22, nor her passenger, Jonny Davis, 24, was seriously injured. Secrist had driven across the tracks and parked her vehicle at Fayette Landing, a dead end road on the banks of the New River. Secrist and Davis then heard a train coming, and decided to exit the area by backing across the tracks. The right front wheel of their 1989 Plymouth dropped into a ditch, though, and the vehicle became stuck with its front end extending out approximately a foot into the path of the oncoming train. Neither Secrist nor Davis had time to get out of the car before the train clipped its front end, throwing it about five feet from the track. Although they were both sitting in the front seat, they suffered only minor bruises and emotional trauma. The vehicle was totalled because of a badly twisted frame and damaged engine. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 2/10]
Information received over a period of several days on possible commercial harvesting of deer by spotlighting led rangers in the park's Hinton Subdistrict to set up surveillance on a residence on the park's boundary in the Sandstone area. On January 27th, rangers observed heavy, regular spotlighting of fields inside the park on 30 to 40 minute intervals. A search warrant was obtained for the residence the following day with the assistance of West Virginia conservation officers. Rangers again observed spotlighting in the area that night and also heard shots fired. The search warrant was served, and two people were arrested and charged with spotlighting, illegal killing of wildlife, illegal possession of wildlife, and hunting without a license. A 30-30 rifle, spotlight, and over 100 pounds of illegally taken deer meat were seized during the search of the residence. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 2/14]
On the evening of February 23rd, a woman was kidnapped from a Wal-Mart parking lot in Beckley, beaten at knife point, forced into her car, driven to the Meadow Creek area of the park, then sexually assaulted. After her assailant departed, the woman walked to a local store and called for help. Meanwhile, her attacker, identified as B.J.H. of Christanburg, Virginia, drove her car to I-81 in Virginia, abandoned it along the roadside, stole another car, and assaulted two other individuals. A joint investigation involving West Virginia state troopers, Beckley police, FBI agents and NPS investigators is underway. B.J.H. is a white male, 5'7" tall, weighs 155 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. His social security number is 223-02-0150. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black hat with writing on it. B.H.H. has a prior conviction for murder and should be considered armed and dangerous. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 2/28]
Early on the afternoon of March 20th, S.L., 18, of Beckley, West Virginia, fell about 90 feet from a cliff in the Central Endless Wall climbing area. S.L., a beginning climber, intended to use a figure eight descending device to rappel from the top of the cliff on a doubled rope. The rope was not tied to a tree; instead, a bight was taken around the anchor and both ends were thrown over the cliff. In setting up the rappel device, S.L. inadvertently placed only one of the ropes through the figure eight, then backed over the edge on rappel. The end of the rope pulled up from the bottom and from around the anchor point. S.L. grabbed the ropes in his arms in an attempt to check his fall, which helped to slow his descent somewhat and keep him in an upright position. A small tree at the base of the cliff also helped to break his fall. His climbing companion, who was at the top of the cliff, climbed down a nearby ladder, assessed S.L.'s injuries, then ran to the Canyon Rim visitor center to report the incident. An interagency rescue/medical team stabilized S.L.'s injuries, placed him in a litter, and raised him up the cliff face to the top. The rescue itself was led by rangers. S.L. was taken to a hospital and treated for closed head injuries, a fractured clavicle, severe rope burns to his arms, fractured ribs, a compression fracture to the spine, and a severely fractured ankle. He is in stable condition. [Rick Brown, CR, Canyon District, NERI, 3/21]
S.S., 20, of Crab Orchard, West Virginia, was killed in a motor vehicle accident just before 1 a.m. on the morning of March 23rd. S.S. and three friends had just left a local bar in the Beckley area. She was driving up McKendree Road, a narrow, winding, dirt bench road with steep, cliff-type embankments and no guardrails, when she went off the road and down a 25-foot embankment. S.S. was killed on impact; her three passengers received only minor injuries. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the incident. Rangers and state police officers are investigating. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 3/23]
On March 18th, six rangers and two United States Marshals successfully completed a warrant sweep of local residences and businesses in three counties in southern West Virginia and arrested seven individuals on outstanding federal magistrate's bench warrants for offenses committed in the park last year. Two of the seven learned of the sweep and voluntarily turned themselves in. All were arraigned before the U.S. magistrate, then fined and released. Total fines were in excess of $1,000. The sweep involved over two weeks of liaison and coordination with the marshal's office and the magistrate and surveillance of the suspects' work habits and residences by rangers. [Dennis Weiland, SDR, Grandview Subdistrict, NERI, 4/4]
Over the past three months, rangers received reports of nine car clouting incidents in the Fern Creek and Fayette Station areas of the park. All of the vehicles belonged to out of state rock climbers, and almost $5,000 worth of climbing and camping equipment was taken from them. The culprits also caused about $2,000 damage in smashed windows; in two cases, almost all of the vehicle's windows were shattered. During the evening of April 23rd, a "bait" vehicle was set up in the Fern Creek parking area, and surveillance of the location was begun. Rangers observed a vehicle entering the lot at 3 a.m. the following morning, and two men, S.D. and P.B., were subsequently apprehended while in the act of siphoning gasoline from one of the vehicles. S.D. and P.B. were interviewed and led investigators to Steven Falls of Fayetteville. Rangers utilized information provided by S.D. to obtain a search warrant for Falls' residence and vehicle. During a consent search, they found climbing gear and audio tapes identified from the car clouts. Confessions were obtained from Falls regarding five separate car clouting incidents in the Fern Creek lot; two other individuals were implicated in the break-ins. Rangers are working with the U.S. attorney's office to obtain indictments. The incident is still under investigation. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 5/2]
Around 10:30 p.m. on May 9th, J.M., 27, lost control of and rolled his full-size Bronco while four-wheeling on a steep slope of a reclaimed strip mine inside the park. The Bronco came to rest on top of J.M.'s passenger, 25-year-old F.R. J.M. was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital; F.R. was flown to Charleston Medical Center, where he is presently listed in stable condition. Alcohol may have been a contributing factor. [Kinsey Shilling, SDR, Thurmond Subdistrict, NERI, 5/11]
Rangers responded to an emergency call from the Fern Creek area of the park around 2 p.m. on the afternoon of May 29th. They found K.W., 19, of Centerville, Ohio, lying face down and unconscious in a waterfall. K.W. had been hiking with friends when he slipped, fell about 40 feet, and suffered extensive head and body injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation into this death is underway. [Lizzie Watts, PIO, NERI, 5/31]
L.B., a 35-year-old rock climber, from Dayton, Ohio, was attempting a 5.9 climb called "The Layback" on Bridge Buttress on the morning of June 5th when he fell from the cliff. L.B. was on belay, but fell about 15 feet, landed on a ledge with his right foot before the belay could arrest his fall, and sustained a fractured ankle. The belayer lowered him to the bottom of the cliff, stabilized his injury, then went to the Canyon Rim visitor center for help. Rangers arrived shortly thereafter, provided medical treatment and transported him by litter to a waiting ambulance. L.B. is currently in a hospital in Oak Hill, where he is being treated. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 6/6]
Around 4 p.m. on the afternoon of June 14th, K.C., 40, of Schererville, Indiana, drowned in the New River in the Fayette Station area while attempting to swim to shore. A group of people had attached a climbing rope to a beam on the old Fayette Station Bridge and were using it to swing from the bridge and drop into the river. K.C. donned a climber's seat harness and kayak helmet, clipped into the rope with a quick release, swung from the bridge, released, and dropped about 15 feet from the apex of the swing to the river. He started swimming for shore, about 80 feet away, but began to struggle and went under with about a third of the distance yet to go. Rangers arrived about 20 minutes later and conducted a fruitless hasty search of the river and its banks. The body was eventually recovered just over a mile downstream. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 6/16]
While attempting a 5.13 climb in the Amphitheater area of Kaymoor on the afternoon of June 19th, J.B., 18, of Free Union, Virginia, fell about 20 feet when a rock he was using as a handhold pulled loose. J.B. had not clipped his belay rope into the first protection sling when he fell. He was treated at the scene and evacuated to a hospital by rangers. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 6/22]
On the morning of June 23rd, L.G. of Langley, Virginia was biking downhill with friends on the Minden-Thurmond trail, an old railroad grade with railroad trestles, when she collided with a fellow biker in front of her who had abruptly stopped just before a trestle. L.G. went over her bike's handlebars and the trestle, and fell into a ravine 30 feet below. Rangers responded, stabilized L.G., and conducted a low angle carryout up to the trail and then to a waiting ambulance. L.G. had no broken bones, but was held overnight at a local hospital for observation. She was wearing a helmet at the time of accident. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 6/30]
On the afternoon of July 8th, ranger Regina Carrico was struck on the top of the head and knocked temporarily unconscious by a fluorescent light fixture which pulled loose and swung down from the ceiling of the Fayette County sheriff's office. Carrico was taken to a local hospital, where she was admitted and kept overnight for observation, then released. Carrico returned to duty on the 10th and drove a park vehicle from the Thurmond area to the Burnwood ranger station, a distance of about 22 miles. At Burnwood, she apparently became disoriented and forgot the purpose of her trip. She left the vehicle unlocked with keys in the ignition and building keys on the seat, walked down a trail for about a quarter mile, then sat down under a rock overhang about 100 feet from the trail and fell asleep. Other rangers discovered that she was missing around 3 p.m. and began a search. Search dogs and a West Virginia state police helicopter were employed in the effort. Carrico was found unharmed and uninjured just after 8 p.m. by ground searchers when she responded to their calling her name. Doctors subsequently concluded that she was suffering from a form of amnesia; until the morning of July 12th, she was unable to recall her own name or recognize any of her friends or relatives. She's presently a patient at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, West Virginia. Tests conducted on the 11th revealed bruising of the brain. Except for memory loss and other possible problems from the blow to her head, Carrico is in physically good condition. The prognosis at this time is uncertain. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 7/12]
Ranger Regina Carrico, who received a head injury last week which lead to amnesia, was released from the hospital on the morning of July 13th. Carrico will be recuperating from her injury before returning to work in the near future. The prognosis for full recovery is very good. [Duncan Hollar, Acting CR, NERI, 7/14]
On the morning of July 17th, rangers and Fayette County deputies responded to a report that a man had jumped from the New River Gorge bridge and found the body of M.A., 19, of Annandale, Virginia, 430 feet below the bridge near the Fayette Station road. Eyewitnesses reported that Ancona parked his vehicle off the side of the northbound lane of the bridge, climbed over the railing, and jumped to his death. M.A. was a student at West Virginia University. Drugs were involved. [CRO, NERI, 7/19]
Late on the evening of August 14th, rangers received a report of two canoeists stranded on a rock in the middle of the New River downstream from Terry, West Virginia. The third member of the party, T.L., reported that the canoe in which he and his family were travelling had overturned at the head of a rapid, and that the three had managed to swim to a nearby rock within the rapid. T.L. then swam the remainder of the rapid in darkness, reached shore, and summoned help. Rangers from both districts responded in the ensuing rain and fog, reached the mother and daughter - Jerry and Amy T.L. - and employed duckies and a motorized cataraft to bring them safely to shore. There were no injuries. Because of the rapids in this section of the river, the cataraft could not be removed from the river at night; a ranger stayed with the boat for security until early the following morning, when it was maneuvered downstream and retrieved at a private take-out. [Frank Sellers, Acting SDR, Grandview Subdistrict, NERI, 8/16]
On July 7th, rangers and officers from the Regional Unified Drug Enforcement (RUDE) task force served a search warrant on a residence in Terry, West Virginia, within the park's boundaries. Although the residents were found to be out of the state at the time, marijuana was found drying inside the house. A field in the woods on NPS property was also searched; five plants were confiscated and evidence of 60 more was found. The raid resulted from a year's undercover work by park investigators in other areas. During this investigation, which continues, an informant reported the growing and drying operation in this residence, which is the same residence raided a year ago by the RUDE and NPS task force. Over 30 pounds of processed marijuana were seized at that time during a warrant search. Both state and federal charges are pending. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 8/17]
Around 9 a.m. on August 12th, rangers received a report that a person had gone over Sandstone Falls on New River; a unified command was quickly established, park and local units responded, and a bank and river search was initiated. Rangers, maintenance workers, 11 divers, two ambulance companies, four volunteer fire departments and a contract helicopter participated in the search, which ended just before 5 p.m. with the recovery of the body of a 16-year-old L.M. of Rhodell, West Virginia. The victim had not gone over the falls, but had instead fallen out of a boat which capsized at the base of the falls. None of the three occupants of the boat was wearing a life jacket, but L.M. floated about 200 yards downstream holding onto a loose life jacket before he suddenly disappeared. When his body was found, divers had to free it by cutting a fish stringer loose from his belt which was caught on a submerged log. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 8/17]
Just before 1 a.m. on the morning of September 4th, C.P., 24, of Greensboro, North Carolina, fell about 70 feet from a cliff at the Bridge Buttress area and was killed. C.P. had met four friends from Virginia during the day with the intention of spending the weekend with them camping in the area. The group parked at the bridge late on the evening of the 3rd and hiked uphill from the Bridge Buttress area to the base of the New River Gorge bridge. They took a small cooler of beer with them on the hike. When they reached the base of the bridge, they illegally climbed up on the catwalk under the bridge and walked across to the middle of the bridge. C.P.'s four companions then climbed over a fence on the edge of the cliff and followed a "social trail", holding on to fence in order to keep away from the cliff edge. C.P. called down to the others and said he was going to try a different way over the fence. He climbed over it and around a tree on the cliff's edge, but was apparently unable to hold onto the fence or tree because he was carrying the beer cooler. He slipped, fell on his back, then slid over the cliff edge, landing at the base near an occupied tent. The campers there found him unconscious, called 911 on a cellular phone, then attempted to resuscitate him and provide medical care. C.P. was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. The incident is being investigated by the county sheriff and park rangers. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 9/8]
On the evening of September 3rd, J.U., 18, of Beckley, committed suicide by jumping off the New River Gorge bridge into the New River, a fall of almost 900 feet. Witnesses reported the incident, and a search was begun for his body. It was eventually found by a fisherman about a mile down river on the evening of September 6th. J.U. had been very despondent lately and had threatened suicide on numerous occasions over the last month. According to his aunt, he was using drugs and alcohol heavily and was very depressed. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 9/9]
Around 6 p.m. on September 19th, rangers received a report of two people being swept over Tahiti Rapids immediately below Sandstone Falls at the south end of the park. Rangers and responding members of local volunteer rescue squads quickly determined from several witnesses that two young males who had been swimming without life jackets in a pool above the rapid had been swept into the rapid and failed to reappear. A unified command was immediately established with county emergency services coordinators. The body of C.E., 19, of Durham, North Carolina, was recovered by divers in 15 feet of water below Tahiti Rapid just before 10 p.m. A major, joint search effort was conducted for the second victim over the next two days. At one point, approximately 25 family members were present at the scene, and family liaison was provided continuously throughout the search by personnel from the park's interpretive division. The Army Corps of Engineers cooperated by shutting down gates in the Bluestone Dam on the New River above the park to facilitate the search by lowering the river level. The body of the second victim, R.E.D., III, 20, also of Durham, was recovered on the third day of the search about a half mile below the rapid. From witness statements, it appears the men had walked across the top of Sandstone Falls, had entered the river below the falls, and had been swimming there for about an hour before their drownings. Indications are that they knew about Tahiti Rapid, but were apparently unprepared for the force of the river above the rapid or the cross currents in the rocky rapid. Both men were students at Concord College in nearby Athens, West Virginia. [Dave Bartlett, SDR, Hinton Subdistrict, NERI, 10/3]
On September 23rd, J.W., 71, a resident of the community of Prince within the park, stopped his vehicle on the Prince Bridge over the New River, got out, and jumped off the bridge, falling about 100 feet to the river below. A passerby pulled him from the river onto a rock in the water. Paramedics began CPR and continued it through transport to the hospital, where J.W. was pronounced dead. J.W., who was well known to patrol rangers in the area, had been suffering for many years from a long-term illness. [Duncan Hollar, DR, Sandstone District, 10/4]
On the afternoon of October 8th, C.C., 29, of Florence, Kentucky, suffered an angulated fracture of her left ankle when she fell about 15 feet while climbing on Fool Effect, a 5.8 rated sport climbing route in the Central Endless Wall area of the park. C.C.'s belayer apparently allowed too much slack in the belay rope. Rangers conducted a vertical litter raise up the 90- foot cliff, then evacuated her to a local hospital. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 10/13]
D.M., 45, of Livonia, Michigan, drowned while kayaking on the Gauley River on October 8th. D.M. had just started his trip with three other kayakers and was running Initiation Rapid when his kayak dropped over a ledge and he was pinned inside. D.M. was able to create an air pocket and breath for about 15 minutes, during which time his companions made several unsuccessful efforts to rescue him. One companion then ran out and contacted rangers, who subsequently found that D.M. had been washed out of the kayak. A search was begun for him, but was unsuccessful because of the high flow of the river. His body was found about a mile and a half downstream the following day. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 10/13]
D.R.A., 39, of Layland, West Virginia, was arrested on a warrant on September 7th after being indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of sale and distribution of marijuana and one count of cultivation of marijuana in the park. The arrest culminated at six-month undercover operation in the park which netted 130 marijuana plants and 132 grams of processed marijuana. The operations was supported by a special Mid-Atlantic Regional Office account. D.R.A. is being held without bail pending trial because of his extensive mental and criminal histories, the latter including a conviction for attempted murder. [Chris Schrader, CI, Sandstone District, NERI, 10/17]
On Saturday, October 15th, the park hosted Bridge Day, an annual event in which one lane of the bridge is closed off so pedestrians can view fall colors and watch BASE jumpers and rappellers parachute or rappel from the bridge. An estimated 200,000 people attended the event this year. The 430 parachutists who registered for the event made about 560 BASE jumps from the 876-foot-high bridge; another 155 persons rappelled or climbed ropes that were up to 650 feet long. A 400-foot tyrolean traverse was set up on one side of the bridge and a Canadian rescue organization led numerous traverses. There were fewer injuries and emergency incidents than in previous years, at least partly due to the beautiful weather and low winds. There were only 60 water landings, one tree landing, and 12 injuries (seven requiring transport to local hospitals for broken bones) associated with BASE jumping activities. Rangers arrested three jumpers on outstanding warrants for BASE jumping off of El Capitan in Yosemite and for failure to appear at court. Arrested were Gordon W. Legg, Jr., Jess Neuger, and John C. Hoover. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, 10/19]
On October 16th, J.T., 47, of Holton, Michigan, was kayaking on the Upper Gauley River when he overturned in his kayak and failed to roll back up or exit from his boat. J.T. remained upside down in his boat through Lost Paddle, a Class V+ rapid. When pulled to the shore by other boaters, he was unconscious and not breathing. He was given CPR by one of he boaters and regained consciousness. Park rangers and EMS personnel responded, placed J.T. on a backboard and ferried him across the river by raft to a landing zone, where he was transported by helicopter to Charleston Area Medical Center. His condition continued to improve, and he was released on October 18th. [Greg Malcolm, SDR, Gauley Subdistrict, NERI, 10/27]
On November 18th, rangers and offices from the regional drug enforcement task force arrested G.W., 34, of Beckley, West Virginia, for possession with intent to deliver and sale and transfer of marijuana. During the subsequent search of G.W.'s residence, two pounds of pressed marijuana was found along with four pounds of marijuana seeds and four firearms. During an interview with G.W., he admitted to growing marijuana in and around the park and also on a farm he owns in Tennessee. [Christopher Schrader, CI, NERI, 12/6]
Early on the morning of December 14th, the body of J.R.F., 49, of Pineville, West Virginia, was found by a park search team in a wooded area along the New River near Thurmond. The body was found at the base of a cliff, and J.R.F. appeared to have died several days previously. Initial indications are that the victim fell approximately 150 vertical feet from a series of cliffs directly above the point where he was found. The investigation began on December 8th, when rangers impounded and inventoried a vehicle which had been parked in the area for about two weeks. Found inside the vehicle were 101 hits of blotter acid (LSD), a small amount of marijuana, prescription drugs, and $2,100 in cash. A drug dog was used and alerted on the money, indicating that it had been stored with other drugs. Foul play has not been ruled out, and investigators for the National Park Service and Fayette County Sheriff's Department are conducting a joint investigation into the death. The body has been sent to the state medical examiners' office in Charleston for examination. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 12/14]
Owens Rogers, a local resident, attempted suicide by jumping 50 feet off of Stonecliff Bridge into the New River just before 3 a.m. on December 16th. R., a known drug dealer, had taken rat poison, kidnapped his girlfriend, then jumped off the bridge just as a local deputy pulled up to the scene. Rangers were called to assist. Minutes later, R. made his way to the bank, abandoning his suicide attempt, and was taken into custody. He was committed to a hospital later that day. R. had been contacted by rangers four days previously for attempting suicide from the same bridge, at which time he was referred for counseling. [Kinsey Shilling, SDR, Thurmond Subdistrict, NERI, 12/16]
Rangers and a park criminal investigator participated in an arrest sweep in Raleigh County, West Virginia, on January 30th. The raid was in conjunction with the Raleigh County Regional Unified Drug Enforcement (RUDE) task force. Five felony arrests were made without incident, all involving warrants for arson and trafficking, dealing and/or distributing drugs. Two of the individuals arrested are currently under investigation for drug and arson activities within the park. [Duncan Hollar, DR, Sandstone District, NERI, 1/31]
D.R.A., 40, of Layland, West Virginia, who was arrested on a warrant last September after being indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of sale and distribution of marijuana and one count of cultivation of marijuana in the park, pled guilty in district court on March 1st and was sentenced to five years in prison without parole and four years of supervised probation upon release. The investigation began last May with information provided by a confidential informant. During the subsequent undercover operation, six drug buys were made in which over 250 grams of marijuana were purchased. A marijuana plantation which D.R.A. had in the park was also found and over 120 plants were confiscated. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 3/9]
On April 26th, the opening day of spring turkey season, four rangers and five West Virginia conservation officers working in plain clothes arrested two local residents for hunting over baited sites. Arrested were L.N., 50, and E.F., 62, both of True, West Virginia. The investigation began 15 months ago with the discovery of baited blinds within the boundaries of the Bluestone National Scenic River, where hunting is allowed. Some sites had pens for live birds, and all blinds were heavily constructed with slab siding and shooting lanes cut through the woods. Surveillance teams videotaped hunters spreading bait and entering their blinds. This interagency task force demonstrated both the negatives and positives of such joint work. Although another dozen illegally-baited turkey blinds were discovered, the operation was apparently compromised. Another surveillance team saw over 30 hunters entering a nearby area by walking directly over baited shooting lanes, but not one entered the associated hunting blinds, all of which were being watched. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, 5/1]
On the morning of April 30th, a group of juvenile delinquents and a counselor from Camp Elliot began the second day of a planned six-day backpacking trip in the park. They were hiking upriver along a railroad near Cunard when a slow- moving freight train forced them to leave the tracks. Two of the juveniles, a nine-year-old boy and his friend, became separated from the group on the opposite side of the tracks. When the freight train stopped to let an Amtrak train go by, the two boys decided to crawl under the freight train to reach the rest of the group. While still under it, the train began to move and the nine- year-old's arm was caught under a wheel and severed about two inches below the elbow. He stayed in the center of the track until the rest of the train - about five cars - passed over him, then was carried out a half mile to Cunard Landing by his companions and some bystanders. Maintenance worker Frank Bragg transported the boy in his truck to town where he was transferred by ambulance and helicopter to a hospital in Louisville. His arm was surgically reattached in an operation that reportedly went very well. At last report, he was in stable condition in the hospital. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, 5/4]
Rangers and state police officers responded to a 911 call of three people in distress on the river on May 27th. They found that two of the three had been recovered by family members, but that a third, two-year-old Robert Cook, was still missing and last seen in the river. A searcher subsequently saw the child on the river bottom. Emergency responders and family members formed a human chain to reach him. He was treated on-scene by paramedics and taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The boy's family had been fishing along the river bank and didn't notice that the two-year-old and another four-year-old had gone into the river. The older child was saved by his uncle. [Dennis Weiland, NERI, 6/1]
Around 2:30 a.m. on May 29th, M.D., 19, fell about 100 feet from a cliff at the base of the New River Gorge bridge and suffered severe skull fractures, internal injuries, an open chest wound, and fractures of the extremities. Responding rangers treated M.D. at the scene, then coordinated a mile-and-a-half overland evacuation down the gorge wall to a road. M.D. was taken to a hospital in Charleston, where he was last reported to be in critical condition. According to friends, M.D. was with a group that came to the location to climb onto the catwalk under the bridge, a frequent challenge to local teenagers and young adults. M.D. was in front of the group at the time of the fall. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, 6/2]
On May 23rd, rangers participated in an interagency drug raid which involved serving arrest warrants on 38 individuals on 78 counts of drug trafficking and firearms violations in Fayette and Raleigh counties. Ten rangers joined 80 other federal, state and local officers in the raids. The indictments leading to the warrants were the culmination of an 18-month-long investigation of drug- related violence in the two counties. Rangers were actively involved in the investigation; one served quite successfully as an undercover agent. The charges included possession of drugs and firearms, interstate travel to facilitate the distribution of drugs, and the use of minors in the distribution of crack cocaine. The raids were conducted without incident. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, 6/2]
On the evening of June 16th, J.D., 35, fell while dismantling an old coal preparation plant in the park and severely fractured his leg. The structure was recently sold to J.D.'s company, and he and a partner were working on taking it down. When rangers arrived, they found him on the building's second floor. Since all of the stairs and ladders and most of the supporting members of the lower floors of the six-story structure had already been removed, rangers had to employ ladders and technical gear to reach him and a technical litter lowering system to get him to the ground. He was taken to a hospital in Oak Hill, where surgery was required to repair fractures of tibia, fibula and ankle bones. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI, 6/27]
Around 4 a.m. on July 10th, rangers and Fayette County deputies arrested four adults - S.S., B.T., N.M., and R.G. - and three juveniles for a series of thefts and burglaries that occurred that morning. The suspects had broken into the basement of a Thurmond resident, then ran off when confronted by the owner with a shotgun. They then broke into a vehicle in front of the residence of K.M., a park interpretive ranger. K.M. and her husband, J.F., were awakened, observed the suspects breaking into the vehicle, and notified authorities. Evidence and statements connected the individuals with seven burglaries and four car clouts in and around the Thurmond subdistrict within the past month. One of the hits was at a seasonal dormitory, where two mountain bikes and miscellaneous items valued at about $2,000 were stolen. A search warrant was obtained for the residence of R.W. and E.W. in Mount Hope. The warrant led to the recovery of the two bikes and to the seizure of marijuana. According to an informant, the bikes, worth $1200, were sold to W. for $55 worth of marijuana and $10 in cash. W. has an extensive history of drug trafficking and violence and was recently paroled after a murder conviction. All of the involved persons were released on bond. Another car clout with a similar MO occurred the next evening. A joint investigation involving rangers and county and state authorities is underway. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]
On July 29th, D.S., 16, H.S., 57, and H.S's son, P.S., all from Mt. Hope, West Virginia, were fishing in the New River near Prince when their aluminum boat was pulled into McCreery Rapid and capsized. Rangers in the area heard the calls for help and had a nearby rescue cataraft in the water before the 911 call was received. P.S. was picked up from the shore by the rescue boat. Fishermen pulled H.S. to the shore, but were unable to reach D.S. Although they began CPR on H.S. at the beach, he did not survive. The body of the 16-year-old was found the following morning. None of the occupants was wearing a life jacket, even though none were able to swim. The park's staff was assisted by 35 rescuers and divers from local fire departments and ambulance services and by a local helicopter and crew. [Dennis Weiland, Grandview SDR, NERI]
R.K., 24, of Cleveland, Ohio, fell about 20 feet while attempting to free climb the 5.8 Zag route in the Bridge Buttress climbing area on the afternoon of July 30th. He was wearing a backpack with climbing gear at the time, and landed on the ground on his back. Rangers evacuated R.K. overland to a waiting ambulance. He was treated at a local hospital for four cracked spinal processes, placed in a splint, and released later in the day. The backpack apparently helped to cushion his fall, making the injury less severe. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]
The park received a report of a person drowning at Stonecliff beach on the afternoon of July 30th. Ranger Jim Light arrived within minutes and found four visitors performing CPR on the victim, D.W., 34, of Glen Jean. D.W. eventually responded with coughing and sporadic breathing, but remained semi- conscious and responsive only to pain. Rangers administered oxygen, after which his breathing became less labored and he was able to talk. D.W. is currently in stable condition in an area hospital. Investigators determined that D.W. had only limited swimming ability and that he had gotten out into the river to a point where the current was swift and he was over his head. He was underwater for four to six minutes before a passing canoer dove from his canoe and pulled D.W. out of the river and onto the beach. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]
Rangers and state troopers responded to a 911 call of a possible gunfight in Terry Beach, a park community, on August 12th. Four weapons were confiscated from one person, but the prime suspect could not be found. About 90 minutes later, rangers again responded to a 911 call of shots being fired in the area (the closest county and state units were over an hour away). They contacted and arrested W.B., 30, and O.S., 20, of Piney View. Three fully-loaded weapons were found on their persons and in the vehicle in which they were riding. W.B. was also found to be wearing a full military flak jacket. The two men were arraigned in federal court on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, possession of loaded firearms within a motor vehicle, discharging of firearms, and possession of controlled substances. Two assistant U.S. attorneys are visiting the park this week to assist the district criminal investigator with the on-going investigation and to ascertain whether additional charges should be filed for assault, kidnapping and being a felon in possession of a firearm. [Duncan Hollar, Sandstone District, DR, NERI]
On August 10th, two parties of campers in the Bridge Buttress area of the park were approached by a group of six men, all in their 20s, who had been drinking heavily and who used violent language, rocks, a tire iron, and a handgun to intimidate the campers into turning over their wallets and money. Both groups hesitated in complying with these demands and had members of their respective parties pulled from vehicles and beaten. One required hospitalization and was released later that day. A county deputy on patrol in the area saw the scuffle and pursued the six men, who abandoned their vehicle when they came upon a state police road block. An interagency, 26-hour-long search led to the arrest of D.H., M.D., R.S., S.D., and M.Z. and J.Z., the latter two both parolees. All of the men had hair styles, tattoos and clothing characteristic of skinhead and white supremacy groups. Interviews indicated that they had come to the area to indulge in "gay bashing", as gay men often gather in the Bridge Buttress area. All six have been charged with aggravated robbery, and civil rights charges are pending. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]
On Saturday, October 21st, the park hosted the annual Bridge Day event. An estimated 100,000 visitors attended, down from previous years because of forecasted rain showers. One lane of the four-lane bridge was closed off and pedestrians were allowed on the bridge to view the fall colors and to watch BASE jumpers and rappellers jump from it. A total of 361 registered parachutists made a total of 609 jumps; a world record was set when nine of them made a successful jump from the bridge at the same time. Another 161 persons rappelled and climbed from heights of between 350 and 650 feet without incident. Threatening heavy rains and high winds held off, which helped bring down the number of injuries and other emergency incidents during the day. There were only 54 water landings, one tree landing, and four injuries requiring treatment - three requiring transport to the hospital but resulting in same-day treatment and release. During the event, rangers conducted a technical rescue of three juveniles who ran away from an adjudicated juvenile group that was hiking in the area. They climbed down a steep drainage and became stranded on a cliff band about 45 feet above the grounds. They were rescued without incident. Edward Trick was arrested on October 20th for illegally parachuting off the bridge. Because of this and in accord with an agreement with the World BASE Association, Trick was prohibited form jumping under the terms of the permit the following day. Trick ignored the prohibition and jumped anyway. He was arrested at the bottom of the bridge; a U.S. magistrate judge fined him $100 for the first jump and $300 for the second. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]
On October 31st, rangers investigated a report of a timber theft in the Garden Ground area of the park and found three local men stealing timber. Ronnie and Orba Williams and Thomas Hurley were apprehended leaving the area with two, eight-foot-long Paulownia logs loaded onto a trailer. The trio had employed a four wheel ATV equipped with a trailer, winch, come-along and sheve blocks to haul the timber out of the steep and remote location near the rim of the gorge. Severe damage was done to the terrain when the logs were hauled up the steep slope. Further investigation revealed that a total of eight Paulownia trees up to sixteen inches in diameter had been cut and prepared for removal from the area. The trees were found scattered over a six-mile area near the rim of the gorge. Six maple trees were also cut and bucked up into short lengths for removal, and several smaller trees were cut and destroyed in the process of clearing the area for the removal of the saw logs. The three men were found to have a small bag of marijuana and a loaded .22 caliber rifle in their possession . They have been charged with resource destruction, firearms violations, and possession of marijuana. The investigation is continuing. Additional charges are expected. [Rick Brown, Acting CR, NERI]
During the night of October 18th, criminal investigator Tony Liquori responded to two separate alarm activations at park headquarters. On the second response, Liquori and a Fayette County deputy found evidence of tampering on one of the building's windows and decided to stake out the area. At 3:25 a.m., county dispatch advised that an alarm had been activated at the convenience store located across the street from park headquarters. They responded and apprehended two men exiting the store with merchandise. A third man ran back into the store and climbed into the attic. While attempting to hide there, he fell through the suspended ceiling, landed on floor, jumped up, and ran out of the building. He was quickly caught in the woods in the park near headquarters. All three have been charged in state court with burglary; additional charges are expected. [Rick Brown, CR, NERI]
Park staff were asked to participate in a multi-agency emergency ICS operation to rescue people from river flooding on January 19th. The Greenbrier River had flooded numerous towns along its banks near the park. The Hinton and Grandview subdistricts provided two three-person teams and a motorized cataraft rescue boat. On January 20th, one team assisted in the rescue of a man and his pregnant wife from the attic window of their home, just before flood waters rose to the attic level. On the 21st, another team rescued a couple from a boat in a frozen lake surrounding their farm. Both had become hypothermic from trying to rescue their trapped farm animals. The woman was taken to a local hospital, and 16 cows and horses were herded to safety by the cataraft along a path broken through the ice. The Greenbrier flows into the New River near Bluestone Dam; New River waters crested at the highest level in the dam's 50- year history. Damage assessments and hazardous material inventories are still being conducted throughout New River Gorge. [Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI]
Grandview Subdistrict rangers arrested O.S. and C.W.B. on weapons possession charges last July after a fight in the Terry Beach area of the park during which shots were fired. Subsequent investigation revealed that both men were convicted felons, and both pled guilty to charges of being felons in possession of weapons. On February 13th, O.S. was sentenced to two years in federal prison, fined $1,000 and placed on 20 months' probation; C.W.B. was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison, fined $1,000 and placed on 30 months' probation. [Dennis Weiland, SDR, Grandview Subdistrict, NERI]
J.W., 17, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, fell from an 80-foot-high cliff in the Canyon Rim/Lansing area of the park at 3 a.m. on July 13th. J.W. and three other companions were partying in the area when J.W. walked away from the group to urinate. J.W., who had been drinking and may also have been taking the drug Xanax, apparently misjudged the distance to the cliff and walked over the edge. Judging from his injuries, he apparently bounced at least one time off the protruding rocks on the jagged cliff face before landing at the bottom of the cliff. Rangers were notified through 911 dispatch at 4 a.m. and arrived on the scene about 20 minutes later. They provided EMS along with a local ambulance squad, while the park's SAR team, with the assistance of a local volunteer fire and rescue company, conducted a technical litter raise to the top of the cliff, then a talus belay up a steep slope to the waiting ambulance. J.W. sustained massive head injuries, internal injuries, and various injuries to his neck, legs and arms. He was semi-conscious and combative during the rescue and evacuation. J.W. was transported by helicopter to a major trauma center in Charleston for treatment. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI]
An 18-month-long investigation into water pollution concluded on July 2nd when R.M.S., a chiropractic physician from Norfolk, Virginia, pled guilty in federal magistrate's court to dumping raw sewage into the New River in the Army Camp area of the park. R.M.S., who was represented by three Norfolk lawyers, was fined $710 and ordered to have a functioning treatment system, certified in writing by the county health department, in place by August 2nd. If he fails to do so, he will be required to return to court. The magistrate spoke forcefully about the case in open court, saying that she considered this type of case to be the most appropriate for the NPS to pursue and encouraging the Service to continue to address external pollution and resource degradation problems affecting the park. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI]
Seasonal ranger Jay Connerley was chosen as a volunteer river rescue team member for the Olympic whitewater competition, held on the Ocoee River near Benton, Tennessee, on July 27th and 28th. Connerley played a key role in the rescue of a Macedonian competitor who flipped his boat in the "Humongous" rapid during the solo canoe event on the 27th. The canoer was unable to roll upright; since he was strapped into the canoe tightly to keep himself from falling out, he was also unable to free himself. He continued downriver, upside down. Numerous attempts to reach him with throw ropes and a tethered swimmer failed. Connerley and another rescue kayaker paddled out to him and held his head out of water long enough to effect the rescue by pushing him to shore. The canoer had been underwater an estimated 50 seconds before Connerley and the other kayaker reached him. It took three people to pull the canoer out of his boat because he was strapped and jammed into the bow so tightly. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI]
Two additional reports on the impacts of Hurricane Fran have been received: o New River Gorge - The park received just under three inches of rain. There was high water on the Gauley River, but no serious flooding occurred. There was one storm-related fatal boating accident. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI; Chuck Taylor, GUCO]
Two additional reports on the impacts of Hurricane Fran have been received: o New River Gorge - The park received just under three inches of rain. There was high water on the Gauley River, but no serious flooding occurred. There was one storm-related fatal boating accident. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI; Chuck Taylor, GUCO]
On August 31st, Hinton Subdistrict rangers responded to calls for assistance from state troopers who were pursuing C.K., 27, a fugitive from Virginia. Although they were unable to catch him, a subsequent 911 call led to the discovery of the vehicle, which was overturned near the boundary of Bluestone NSR, managed by the park. A search for the driver that evening proved fruitless. On Sunday, ranger Don Sledz spotted a man matching the fugitive's description near a Corps of Engineers visitor center parking lot. Neither state nor county units were available, so Sledz monitored his movements until a commissioned ranger could arrive and detain C.K. pending arrival and arrest by state troopers. C.K. had eluded Virginia and West Virginia officers for 72 hours; he was wanted for theft of two vehicles and for two armed robberies, and was considered armed and dangerous. [Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI]
S.H., 26, drowned while kayaking the Lower Meadow River on September 6th. S.H., an experienced kayaker, flipped over in the second drop of the Hell's Gate rapid and was trapped underwater when his boat was pinned between two submerged rocks. Rangers and other rescue personnel recovered the body later that day. [Greg Malcolm, SDR, NERI]
A 50-year-old Michigan woman died in a commercial rafting accident on the Lower Gauley River on September 22nd. The boat she was riding in flipped at Rocky Top rapids and she was thrown out. Visitors in another raft pulled her out at the bottom of the rapids. Two doctors in the group later reported that she had a pulse, but soon stopped breathing, at which point CPR was begun. River rangers Doug Wilson and Bill Handy arrived on scene and got the woman to a landing zone on a rock in the river, where she was picked up by a helicopter and flown to a local hospital. She was pronounced dead later that night. The medical examiner has not yet specified the cause of death. [Greg Malcolm, SDR, NERI]
A tandem canoe, a kayak and their three occupants accidentally went over 30- foot Sandstone Falls at the south end of the park on the afternoon of October 6th. Two of the three - all students from the University of Virginia - made it to shore, but the third became stranded on a rock in a narrow chute at the base of the falls. Park, local rescue squad, state police and Coast Guard personnel attempted to reach the victim by boat and helicopter for nine hours, but were only able to do so after the Corps of Engineers closed all gates on the Bluestone Dam to lower water levels in the New River. Subdistrict ranger Kinsey Shilling was then able to reach the victim and bring him to safety. This was the most technically difficult rescue ever attempted by the combined agencies at Sandstone Falls, but one that has been anticipated for some time. The incident was managed under an ICS unified command by the park and Summers county emergency services. [Dave Bartlett, NPS IC, NERI]
On October 2nd, Ste.F. and Stu.F., both from the Oak Hill/Fayetteville area, were sentenced in federal court on one count each of theft from a vehicle and vandalism. The charges stemmed from a series of car clouts in the park in the winter of 1994 in which almost $5,000 worth of climbing and camping equipment was stolen from vehicles belonging to out-of- state rock climbers. The two men and two associates also caused about $2,000 damage in smashed windows. Ste.F. and Stu.F. were indicted on five counts of vandalism and theft, but pled guilty to one count each in a plea agreement. Ste.F. was ordered to serve three months in a community confinement center, followed by three months of electronically monitored home confinement, three years of probation after confinement, and 200 hours of community service; he was also required to pay four victims $900 in restitution. Stu.F. was sentenced to eight months in a federal detention facility, followed by three years of supervised probation and 200 hours of community service; he was also ordered to undergo substance abuse and mental health counseling and required to pay one victim $200 in restitution. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI]
Bridge Day, the annual event in which one lane of the New River Gorge Bridge is closed to all but foot traffic, was held on October 19th. Although many visitors come to walk the bridge and view fall colors, the main attraction is the BASE (Buildings, Antennas, Spans, Earth) jumping that occurs from the 876-foot high bridge to the landing area below. On this one day of the year, the park issues a permit to the World BASE Association to allow parachute landings on park property. This year, the weather for the event was less than favorable - cold temperatures, some minor rain showers, and winds from 15 to 25 mph. The winds were also erratic, making it very difficult to steer parachutes and assuring an interesting day for rescue teams. This year, 379 registered parachutists made a total of 383 jumps from the bridge. There were 81 water landings requiring rescue by watercraft, but none of the jumpers was injured. Five jumpers landed in trees, and the park's SAR team performed technical rescues to retrieve two of them. One received a severe rectal laceration which required surgery. Although a total of 25 injuries were treated, most were minor scrapes, bruises, sprains and strains. There were nine ambulance transports, including a head injury suffered by a visitor on a commercial raft tour who was hit in the head by a parachutist landing in the raft. A group of about 200 people from several organizations also rappelled from the bridge on ten rappel lines, the longest of which was about 800 feet. There were no problems associated with this group. Senator Rockefeller, ten gubernatorial candidates, and several other governmental candidates from all parties attended the event to solicit support for their campaigns, adding another dimension to incident management. The event was managed under a unified incident command involving the park and several state, county and local agencies. [Rick Brown, IC, NERI]
Ranger Charles Mitchem was en route from the state police office in Hinton to his ranger station on November 17th when he received and responded to an urgent call concerning police officers involved in a shooting incident with a barricaded individual in Hinton. Shortly after Mitchem arrived on the scene, a city police officer, Robbie Maddy, was shot five times by the barricaded assailant. Maddy was able to crawl about 25 yards before Mitchem and a state trooper pulled him to safety behind a house. During the period while officers were awaiting a state police tactical team, Mitchem was able to make voice contact with the assailant and convince him to put down his weapon and surrender. Maddy was flown to an area hospital where he underwent four hours of surgery for wounds to his chest and abdomen; he is currently in serious condition. The incident originated as a drunk and disorderly domestic altercation. Two city officers responding to the incident came under fire from a 55-year-old male using a semi-automatic pistol. Ranger Mitchem was not involved in any of the shooting and did not discharge his weapon. [Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI]
Late on the afternoon of November 26th, rangers Frank Sellers and Jennifer Cottrell responded to a call for immediate assistance from a county deputy in the community of Dillon, located adjacent to the park's boundary. The deputy, who was responding to a 911 call regarding a threatening domestic situation, had heard multiple shotgun and high-powered rifle shots upon arrival at the scene. The rangers, along with deputies and state troopers, secured the area and interviewed neighbors. It was at first feared that an assailant was in the surrounding woods, but investigation finally led to the discovery of three bodies. One had been shot in the head while dressing a deer in the back of his truck; his assailant and another relative then continued the domestic disagreement with shotguns and hunting rifles and killed each other. All three victims were related members of the same family. [Dennis Weiland, Operations Supervisor, Sandstone District, NERI]
At 11 p.m. on New Year's Day, rangers received a report through the regional 911 dispatch of overdue hikers in the Piney Creek drainage of the park. Two adults and a six-year-old boy were reported missing by family members when they failed to return home. The trio lacked camping gear, lights or adequate clothing. Tracks were found by a hasty team searcher shortly after midnight along the creek about a mile from the New River. Ranger Frank Sellers followed the tracks, discovered the group around a small campfire several miles up the Piney Creek drainage, and helped them downstream to railroad tracks where local volunteer rescue members completed the carryout to waiting ambulances. The three had spent a total of fourteen hours in the drainage. Both adults were discovered to be highly intoxicated; the father, D.A., 51, registered .25 on a preliminary breath tester more than an hour after being discovered. The boy had a core body temperature of barely 94 degrees when evaluated by paramedics. D.A. was charged with creating a hazardous condition. An investigation by state child protective service workers is being considered. Operations supervisor Dennis Weiland was incident commander. [Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI]
On the afternoon of January 19th, a local man, age 40, threatened to commit suicide by jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge or by shooting himself. After being involved in a minor accident with another vehicle in the Ames Heights area, he fled the scene of the accident, drove to the middle of the bridge, got out of the vehicle with a handgun, and sat on the bridge rail (the distance from the top of the bridge to the river below is 876 feet). Rangers and state and county officers responded to the call and blocked traffic at both ends of the bridge. The man threatened to jump from the bridge and periodically held the gun to his head, threatening to shoot himself. After a three-hour stand-off and intense negotiations, the man finally agreed to put down the gun and talk to the negotiators. He eventually agreed to drive off the bridge and to meet and talk with law enforcement officers, who had promised not to arrest him. The man was found to be despondent over a recent breakup with his wife; he was given immediate counseling by a minister and was offered follow-up counseling with a professional service. The bridge was closed to all traffic during the long stand-off. Traffic was backed up for several miles in each direction on Route 19, a major, four-lane, north-south highway. [Rick Brown, DR, Canyon District, NERI, 1/19].
On the afternoon of March 2nd, N.P., 57, was bending over to touch the water at the top of Styrofoam Falls on Dunloup Creek when she lost her balance, fell into the waterfall, and landed about 15 feet below in the creek at the base of the falls. Dunloup Creek was swollen by heavy rains which had fallen on the area over the previous two days, and N.P. was pulled under by the strong current several times before she managed to swim to the surface and make it to the opposite shore of the creek about 150 feet downstream. She was able to hold onto tree branches and keep her head above water while her husband sought help. He contacted ranger Audie Critchley at the Dunglen ranger station, about two miles away; Critchley pulled her to shore and treated her for her injuries while waiting for assistance to arrive. The park's SAR team and volunteers from the Oak Hill Fire Department conducted a litter belay up the bank to a railroad track and carried her out along the tracks to a waiting ambulance. N.P. was admitted to a local hospital for observation and tests for possible fractures to her hip and back. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 3/4]
On the evening of Saturday, March 15th, the park received a request for assistance in a search of the park and surrounding area for two missing juvenile girls. The girls left their home that morning and hiked to Thurmond on park trails. They called their parents from the Thurmond ranger station that afternoon and said they were returning home; when they failed to arrive at the appointed hour (7 p.m.), the parents notified the county sheriff's office, which took no immediate action. Rangers were called out just after 9:30 p.m. and began a hasty search of the area. At about the same time, relatives of the missing girls began their own search on ATVs. J.B., the girls' uncle, was searching along a park trail near the New River around 11 p.m. when he hit a stump and rolled the ATV 30 feet over a steep embankment. J.B. sustained injuries to his knee and back. Rangers searching the trail discovered him just after midnight and evacuated him to an NPS four-wheel-drive vehicle that in turn transported him to a waiting ambulance. He was treated at a hospital and released. The search continued in the morning. Around 9:45 a.m., the two girls contacted a park maintenance worker at the Brooklyn River access. They were uninjured and in good condition. During the debriefing, rangers learned that their short day hike ended up covering 15 miles and lasted 22 hours. They slept in the woods that night in 20 degree temperatures just two miles from home. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI, 3/17]
On April 4th, park rangers and the park's criminal investigator followed-up on a recent theft of government property with the issuance of a search warrant at the farm of F.W. and his wife, who are local park neighbors. They recovered a John Deer combination backhoe and front-end loader valued at $45,000 which had been stolen from the park. Also seized were 20 pounds of processed marijuana (valued at $60,000), 192 marijuana plants (valued at $387,000), over 500 marijuana seeds, over 30 weapons (many assault-type weapons), two stolen vehicles, an operating still with seven gallons of moonshine, dog and cock fight apparatus and animals, four stolen chainsaws, numerous pieces of stolen lawn maintenance equipment, and 20 VIN (vehicle identification number) plates. Investigators suspect that the latter are associated with the site's use in a large vehicle theft operation. Two armed individuals with felony arrest records were also arrested. The search warrant was served by a task force that included the rangers and criminal investigator, state police officers, and county deputies. Air surveillance and support was provided by the West Virginia Air National Guard. Intelligence reports had indicated that the task force members might encounter weapons and illegal drugs during the warrant service, and that the suspects had criminal histories for attempted murder of a police officer, assault, and armed robbery. The incident was managed under ICS, with the park providing the incident commander. The NPS has been designated as the lead follow-up agency. Additional arrests are pending. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 4/6]
The park was struck by a series of arson fires this weekend. The first two occurred on the afternoon of Friday, April 4th, and burned four acres before controlled by park crews. Two more occurred on the 5th; by the 6th, the park had committed 35 firefighters and four engines to suppressing the blazes. An engine and crew from Shenandoah NP provided additional assistance. At the time of the report late on Sunday, the fires had burned a total of 50 acres, and firefighters were responding to a new start in the Meadow Creek drainage. Arson investigators also discovered two additional starts. All but the last fire were started in the Garden Ground section of the park. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 4/6]
Rangers in the Grandview unit received a request from regional dispatch around noon on April 15th to be on the lookout for a vehicle believed to be associated with a recent spousal kidnapping. The wife's parents had found her vehicle along the side of the road with the windows broken out, and had reported a suspected kidnapping to the state police. The husband, J.C., 42, of Rainelle, West Virginia, was intercepted at a roadblock; his wife was in the vehicle. J.C. attempted to flee on foot, but was captured by a park ranger before he could escape. Investigation revealed that both the kidnapping and a subsequent assault had occurred within the park. The J.C.s were involved in divorce proceedings which stemmed from apparent long-term spousal abuse. A joint meeting was held by rangers, state police and local FBI agents and a decision was made to have the state police carry the case forward. They charged J.C. with felony kidnapping, assault and resisting arrest. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 4/16]
Around 9:30 p.m. on the evening of May 19th, three local residents were rowing across the New River to a campsite following a trip to get some beer when their flatbottom bass boat was swept through a series of small rapids, hit a rock, filled with water and sank. The incident occurred as darkness and an all-night thunderstorm were setting in. The trio - L.P., R. "C." P. and J.H. - held onto the boat as it washed downstream, but "C." P., 42, was unable to maintain his hold and went under. There were three life jackets in the boat, but none of the men had them on. L.P. also host his wheelchair in the river when the boat overturned. The park was notified at 7:30 a.m. the next morning when the crew on a railroad work truck picked up the survivors and radioed 911. The subsequent search involved the NPS, three local volunteer fire departments and their dive teams, search and rescue dog teams, and the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. "C." P.'s body was found on the morning of the 25th at a spot in the river pinpointed the previous evening by search dogs working from park cataraft boats. Alcohol was a contributing factor in the drowning. Dennis Weiland was the incident commander for the search. [Duncan Hollar, DR, NERI, 5/27]
On the evening of February 23, 1994, a woman was kidnapped from a Wal-Mart parking lot in Beckley, beaten at knife point, forced into her car, driven to the Meadow Creek area of the park, then sexually assaulted. After her assailant departed, the woman walked to a local store and called for help. Meanwhile, her attacker, B.J.H. of Christanburg, Virginia, drove her car to I-81 in Virginia, abandoned it along the roadside, stole another car, and assaulted two other individuals. B.J.H. was apprehended in Greensboro, North Carolina, after he had abducted another woman and forced her into his car. On June 12th, B.J.H. pled guilty to the rape before a federal district judge in Charleston. Sentencing is expected in August. B.J.H. is currently serving a 30-year sentence in North Carolina for the abduction there, and also faces three consecutive life terms for convictions in Virginia for malicious assaults. He faces the possibility of a fourth life sentence on the federal conviction. Park criminal investigator Chris Schrader worked for three years with a trooper from the West Virginia State Police to bring B.J.H. to trial in West Virginia for the rape in the park. [Duncan Hollar, Resource Stewardship Unit Leader, NERI, 6/24]
On June 9th, 1997, H.S.W. was driving in the southern end of the park near Sandstone when her car became disabled. A service technician at a local dealership where the car was towed found what he thought to be marijuana in the vehicle, and called the local drug task force (the park's criminal investigator is a member of the group). A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 70 grams of marijuana in eleven bags along with $980 in hidden cash. Investigation revealed that H.S.W. was travelling throughout the area selling cable TV subscriptions as well as marijuana. She has no known permanent address. She was arrested on possession and distribution charges. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 7/10]
On the evening of July 6th, P.P., 74, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, fell approximately 40 feet from the top of the Dunloup Creek waterfall and landed in the creek below. A friend who was with P.P. found him semi-conscious in the creek, held his head out of the water, and attempted to drag him to shore. Ranger Jim Light responded within minutes of the accident and lead the rescue effort with other responding rangers and local EMS agencies. P.P., who suffered a laceration to the head and multiple abrasions on the face, was stabilized and evacuated up a steep embankment to a waiting ambulance. He was transported to a local hospital and was in stable condition at the time of the report. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/7].
At 8 p.m. on the evening of July 8th, a couple from Huntington, West Virginia, began a rafting trip on the upper section of the Gauley River. They borrowed a raft from a friend who told them that the trip from the tailwaters to Panther Creek would take only an hour or so and that the trip would be peaceful because the river was flowing at a low rate of 350 cubic feet per second (cfs) - both important considerations because the woman was seven months pregnant. The distance, however, is actually about ten miles, and the low flow meant that the trip would take more than five hours and that it would be extremely hazardous because of exposed undercut rocks when the river is at this level. Friends advised the park when the couple failed to arrive at Panther Creek by 10 a.m. the following morning. Rangers began an immediate hasty search on foot along the river bank; a search of the river began at noon. The couple was found about two miles downstream from the tailwaters at 2 p.m. They had spent a restless night on the river bank under their raft. Although frightened and hungry, they were otherwise uninjured. Investigation revealed that they had not been wearing their lifejackets, and that they'd initially intended to take their seven-year-old son on the trip. According to the woman, they had decided to get off the river when they had almost flipped the raft in Insignificant Rapid, a class IV rapid. She said that she'd been so frightened during the trip that for some time she thought she was going into labor. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/12]
On July 15th, a task force of rangers, Raleigh County deputies, DEA agents and West Virginia state police investigators executed a search and arrest warrant for J.S., 29, of Beckley, West Virginia. A two-month-long investigation, supported by special WASO funding, netted four pounds of marijuana, seven firearms (including three assault rifles), bomb making materials, $800 in cash, a computer, and several boxes of financial records. J.S. admitted to investigators that he'd transported a total of 25 pounds of marijuana and a kilo of cocaine from Chicago to the local Amtrak train station within the park on several occasions. Although J.S. was on welfare, the U.S. attorney's office is issuing seizure warrants for seven vehicles and a four-wheeler that J.S. owns, based on his admission that the vehicles were purchased with drug money. J.S. is a member of a loosely organized local anti-government and police hate group. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 7/21]
On the evening of August 16th, L.F., 27, and his girlfriend, Bonita Highlander, 26, were assaulted at gunpoint while at Army Camp beach on the New River. L.F. and Highlander were fishing when they were approached by an unknown local man who had apparently been drinking heavily. The man talked with them about fishing, then offered them a drink from a pint of liquor. They drank with the man, but he soon became belligerent and L.F. asked him to leave. The man went to his vehicle as if to leave, but, unable to find a fifth of liquor he thought he had there, he came back to the couple with a .22 caliber handgun and accused them of stealing the liquor. He brandished the weapon and verbally threatened the couple. Highlander was able to flee, but L.F. was held at gunpoint. The man ordered L.F. onto his knees, but L.F. only did so after the man struck him twice on the head with the gun. The man told L.F. to put his head between his legs, then put the gun against his temple. L.F., thinking he was about to die, grabbed for the gun and struggled with the man. The gun discharged twice during the fight. L.F. gained control of the weapon and threw it into some high weeds and brush near the campsite. The man ran from the area, got in his vehicle, and did not return. Rangers were contacted shortly thereafter, but were unable to locate L.F.'s assailant. A thorough crime scene investigation was conducted; the handgun was found in the bush and other evidence was discovered in the area which should prove important in solving the crime. A suspect was identified and leads are currently being pursued. The investigation is being handled exclusively by a team consisting of rangers and the park's criminal investigator. This is the second incident in the park in the past two weeks involving an assault with a firearm. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 8/18]
On the afternoon of August 25th, rangers received a report of a suicidal man with a gun in the Fayette Station area of the park. They responded along with county and state officers and found the body of J.C., 30, of Ocoee, Tennessee, lying in the rocks beside the river bank. J.C. had apparently already been dead for a few hours by the time the report was received. He was found wrapped in a blanket and clutching a high-powered rifle; the cause of death was apparently a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A suicide note was found at the scene inside a waterproof box clipped to his body with a carabiner. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 8/25]
On the night of September 7th, rangers responded to a report of individuals shooting at people and homes in the Middle Gorge section of the park. They located and confronted two armed, intoxicated individuals at Grandview Sandbar; after a few tense moments, they were able to safely arrest the pair. This is the third incident within a month in which park visitors have been subjected to this type of violence. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/5]
J.G., Jr. of Midlothian, Virginia, was fatally injured while rafting on the Gauley River on the morning of September 6th. J.G. was thrown from his raft when it struck Razor Rock and was swept downstream, where he became lodged under Shipwreck Rock. Rangers recovered his body that evening. The guide in J.G.'s raft was a first-time guide on the Gauley. The accident is being jointly investigated by the park and state DNR. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 9/5]
On the afternoon of September 19th, D.W., 25, fell about 40 feet while on a lead climb of an unnamed 5.9 crack on the South Nuttal Wall when the rock he was using as a handhold pulled loose. D.W. fell back into his belay; as he fell, two camming devices he was using as protection pulled out of the crack and he fell unchecked to the ground, landing on his back. D.W.'s partner saw that he was seriously injured and ran about three miles to the nearest residence to call for help. Rangers received and responded to the report about 90 minutes after the incident occurred. They found D.W. semi-conscious and in shock at the bottom of a 120-foot vertical cliff. Rescue efforts were complicated by a steep 70% slope which was about 150 feet long and covered with a thick tangle of rhododendron leading to the cliff edge. D.W. was stabilized at the base of the cliff and a vertical raise was used to get him to the top. A litter carry and four-by-four vehicle were used to transport him three miles to a farm field where a helicopter was waiting. D.W. was flown to an advanced trauma center in Charleston. Although the extent of his injuries were not known at the time of the report, it's believed that he suffered a fractured back with spinal injuries, a fractured pelvis, fractured ribs and internal injuries. The rescue was a joint effort between the park and a volunteer fire department from Fayetteville. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 9/21]
On the evening of February 23, 1994, a woman was kidnapped from a Wal-Mart parking lot in Beckley, beaten at knife point, forced into her car, driven to the Meadow Creek area of the park, and raped. After her assailant departed, the woman walked to a local store and called for help. Meanwhile, her attacker, identified as B.J.H. of Christanburg, Virginia, drove her car to I-81 in Virginia, abandoned it along the roadside, stole another car, and assaulted two other individuals. B.J.H., who had a prior murder conviction, was eventually captured, charged with rape, tried and found guilty. On September 21st, he received the maximum federal sentence of 21 years in federal district court, to be served consecutively after existing sentences in North Carolina (10 years) and Virginia (60 years) are completed. B.J.H. is 38 years old, and the earliest he can be released from prison is 2081. Criminal investigator Chris Schrader shepherded this case through completion over the three years since the incident occurred. [Duncan Hollar, Resource Stewardship Unit Leader, NERI, 10/13]
In June, 1996, J.G. of Princewick, West Virginia, rode his horse into a campsite at Sandstone Falls, fired two shots from a revolver, then pistol- whipped a 17-year-old male. Investigation revealed that J.G. was a felon who had been convicted in the early 80s for armed robbery and assault on a federal officer. J.G. fled to Alabama in 1996 after rangers and county deputies served a search warrant on his residence and found loaded weapons and drug paraphernalia. J.G. was indicted on assault and firearms charges by a grand jury this past March. He returned to West Virginia this year to conduct some family business; investigators learned of his return and rangers arrested him at his residence on an outstanding warrant on October 5th. Loaded weapons were found in his residence at that time. Additional charges are accordingly pending. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 10/14]
The annual "Bridge Day" event was held on and in the area of the New River Gorge bridge on October 18th. During this one-day event, the northbound lanes of the bridge are closed to traffic so that visitors can walk onto it to view fall colors and BASE jumpers can parachute from the 876-foot bridge to a landing area below on the New River. A special use permit is issued to a parachuting organization to allow jumpers to land on park property. The weather was nearly perfect for the event - overcast, cool (mid-50s), and with very little wind. This year, 320 registered parachutists made a total of about 720 jumps from the bridge, including an approved, choreographed eleven- person jump which went perfectly and set a world record. There were over 50 water landings in which chutists were rescued by watercraft, none of them resulting in injuries. One jumper landed in the trees when his parachute malfunctioned and suffered a fractured lower leg. Only a dozen people were treated on site for injuries, and these were limited to a scrapes, bruises, sprains and strains. There were six transports to a local hospital by ambulance for follow-up treatment. Another group of about 200 people from several organizations rappelled from the bridge on seven rappel lines. The longest rappel was about 800 feet. There were no accidents or other problems with this group. During the event, rangers also responded to a commercial rafting accident eight miles upriver from the event in which a visitor suffered a fractured femur. First aid was administered and the victim was evacuated about a mile overland to an ambulance. The Bridge Day event was managed under a unified incident command system; participating were the park and several state, county and local agencies. [Rick Brown, IC, NERI, 10/19]
K.R., 34, a paramedic with JanCare Ambulance Service, a local EMS provider, was treating a traffic accident victim on the slippery ice covering the Meadow River Bridge on the evening of November 15th when three more vehicles skidded down the bridge and slammed into his ambulance and the vehicle involved in the original accident. While trying to get out of the way, K.R. slipped and fell over the bridge railing, landing in the woods along the river bank about 300 feet below. Rescue workers reached him an hour later and transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 11/17]
On November 22nd, 14 rangers helped close out a cooperative, year-long, interagency investigation into the trafficking of drugs in the park and surrounding county in a joint operation with state, county and city officers that resulted in the arrest of 24 people. During the investigation, a ranger/investigator team worked directly with the West Virginia state police. The investigation led to the issuance of 213 felony drug indictments for 36 people in the city of Hinton and Summers county. The raid was planned jointly by the park and state police and included 65 rangers and officers from five agencies. The Army National Guard drug task force provided two support helicopters; others involved in the operation included personnel from a regional jail, EMS staff, and senior DOI law enforcement officials John Gannon and Gary Allen. Six separate six-person teams were set up to serve the warrants, including a special response team from the state police. The first set of six raids was carried out on a street in Hinton at 9 a.m. The street was closed off at both ends while separate raids were conducted in apartments throughout the street. During this particular raid, two felons, both in possession of firearms, were arrested on warrants. One of them, F.S., 40, has two prior felony convictions; if convicted again, he could be sentenced to life in prison. The remaining raids were carried out in groups of six or more at a time at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Twenty-two of those taken into custody were arrested on the original warrants; the other two were arrested on charges of possession of drugs found during warrant service. Seven of them were felons in possession of firearms, resulting in additional felony charges against each of the seven. Seized were 11 firearms (three of them stolen), 35 large rocks of crack cocaine with an estimated street value of $10,000, 39 bottles of prescription medications, about a pound of processed marijuana, several marijuana plants, three containers with a total of 2,000 marijuana seeds, a vehicle, and over $2,000 in cash. Although problems were anticipated in serving some of the warrants, all went well - there were no instances of resisting arrest and nobody was injured. This was the result of excellent planning, interagency cooperation, and support throughout the operation. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 11/23]
On November 22nd, 13 rangers and a criminal investigator from the park - joined by two DOI special agents - helped close out a cooperative, year-long, interagency investigation into the trafficking of drugs in the park and surrounding county in a joint operation with state, county and city officers that resulted in the eventual arrest of 44 people on drug and weapons violations. Two of the park's law enforcement personnel also worked undercover for an extended period of time prior to the arrests. Many of these arrests occurred in the town of Hinton, which is within the park. Members of the task force have since received credit for "cleaning up the town of Hinton," and the town's mayor has proclaimed December 18th as "Police Appreciation Day." The town will host a dinner and reception for the personnel involved in the operation. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 12/12]
The series of severe El Nino-related winter storms which have been striking the U.S., particularly in California, the southern tier states and up the east coast, have had a variety of repercussions in national parks. Since there are no indications that this pattern will change for some time, the Morning Report will carry a continuing round-up of reported storm impacts: New River NR (WV) - The storm that passed through the area on February 4th and 5th dropped only four to six inches of snow, but it was on top of the 40 inches of snow that fell in the storm of the previous week. That storm closed park headquarters and park visitor centers for six days. No significant damage has been reported. Reports from other parks that have also been significantly affected by these storms would be appreciated. [Bob Martin, CR, REDW, 2/4; John Burns, CR, ASIS, 2/5; Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 2/5; Greg Stiles, SHEN, 2/5]
A rock slide occurred on Batoff Mountain above Route 41 on the afternoon of February 21st. The rocks fell on a Chevy S-10 Blazer with two female occupants which was passing by at that moment. M.E., 68, was killed instantly; her daughter, who was driving, walked away from the accident with only a minor injury. Responders included three enforcement agencies, a fire department, an ambulance service, and the state's highway department. Both lanes of the road were closed for about three hours while heavy equipment broke-up and disposed of the rock. [Rick Brown, NERI, 2/23]
A freight train traveling east through the gorge was derailed by a rock/mud slide about a half mile west of Fayette Station around 10 a.m. on March 20th. The train consisted of an engine and 135 cars, most of which contained coal. The engine came around a sharp curve and ran head-on into a pile of rock and mud from a slide caused by the water-saturated ground. The engine left the track, plunged down the steep embankment, flipped on its side, and came to rest about 15 yards from the river's edge. Neither of the two engineers on board was hurt, and only about 50 gallons of engine oil spilled on the river bank. No diesel fuel or other contaminants were spilled. Several cars also derailed but did not leave the track grade. The engine oil spill was contained before it reached the river. CSX, the company which owns the train, began the process of moving the wreck on the 20th. All units were removed and the track was reopened to normal traffic yesterday afternoon. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, 3/22]
On March 2nd, J.G. of Princewick, West Virginia, was sentenced to two- and-a-half years in prison and three years' probation and fined $3,000 following his conviction on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred in the park in June, 1996, in which J.G. rode his horse into a campsite at Sandstone Falls, fired two shots from a revolver, then pistol-whipped a 17-year-old male. Subsequent investigation revealed that J.G. was a felon who had been convicted in the early 80s for armed robbery in Oklahoma and for assault on a federal officer in Texas. J.G. fled to Alabama in 1996 after rangers and county deputies served a search warrant on his residence and found loaded weapons and drug paraphernalia. J.G. was indicted on assault and firearms charges by a grand jury in March, 1997. When he returned to West Virginia to conduct some family business in October, he was arrested by rangers at his residence. Loaded weapons were found in his home at that time. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 4/3]
On April 5th, K.B., 18, and a 16-year-old juvenile broke into a residence about 25 miles outside the park, stole three rifles and ammunition, then fled in a Geo Tracker. The pair eluded police and headed for the park. A state trooper responding from the opposite direction spotted the vehicle just outside the park boundary and pursued it at high speeds back into the park. The Tracker crashed into the Prince Bridge crossing over the New River; K.B. and the juvenile bailed out and ran up a park trail toward Grandview. The trooper crashed into an embankment and continued the pursuit on foot. A ranger who was in the area and was monitoring the radio traffic joined the trooper in the chase while two other rangers blocked the end of the trail at Grandview. The trooper was able to catch up with K.B. and the juvenile and arrested them at gunpoint. Neither was armed at the time of the arrest. Each was charged with burglary, fleeing with property damage, and fleeing on foot. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 4/14]
C.G., 20, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was scrambling at the top of a waterfall on Marr Branch on the evening of May 16th when he slipped and fell about 30 feet, landing face down in the shallow creek. Although he was initially either semi-conscious or unconscious, he eventually responded to calls from his girlfriend, who told him to turn over and move to the shore. C.G. was able to crawl to the edge of the creek despite severe injuries. Once C.G. was out of the creek, his girlfriend scrambled up the steep embankment and ran to get help. Rangers, volunteer firefighters and an ambulance company responded, stabilized C.G., and evacuated him up the near vertical embankment. He was admitted to a local hospital and treated for bilateral fractures of both ankles, severe lacerations to his head, a concussion, and multiple contusions on his arms and wrists. C.G. will be undergoing ankle surgery sometime this week. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 5/17]
Rangers discovered a burning coal refuse pile near Teay's Landing on May 9th. Piles of coal refuse left over from coal mining in the gorge are common in parts of the park. They are primarily tailings from mines and are composed of carbonaceous shales that may spontaneously combust as they naturally oxidize. They can also be ignited by campfires or wildland fires. Once lit, they can be very difficult and even dangerous to extinguish. Extensive digging in the piles can cause a backdraft type explosion, and improper application of water can cause a steam explosion. The piles liberate extensive amounts of carbon monoxide, sulfur, nitrogen compounds, and other gases, some of which are known carcinogens. Representatives from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's Abandoned Mine Lands Division were brought in to extinguish the fire. During the excavation, a minor backdraft occurred which produced a 30-foot-high fireball, but wet conditions prevented significant spread through vegetation. At least a week of excavation work will be required before all the burning materials can be removed from the pile. [Dave Bartlett, FMO, NERI, 5/19]
S.M., C.S. and several children were wading in the New River upstream of the Grandview sandbar on the afternoon of May 17th when one of the children was swept downstream by the swift current. S.M. attempted to rescue the child, but was also swept downstream and pulled underwater. The current caught C.S. when he attempted to rescue S.M. and carried him down the river as well. The child managed to swim close to shore and was pulled to safety by a bystander; C.S. made it to shore by himself. A visitor who witnessed the events swam after and retrieved S.M., who was found to be in cardiac arrest. Visitors began CPR and she had resumed breathing by the time rangers arrived on scene. While they were continuing CPR on her, C.S. collapsed. He was revived and stabilized. Both were taken to a local hospital and have since been released. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 5/19]
The following are summaries of events and incidents that occurred in two parks on Memorial Day weekend: New River Gorge NR (WV) - The park had a busy weekend, with the following occurring over the period from Friday evening to Monday afternoon: Shots were fired in the Glade Creek campground from a moving vehicle on the evening of the 22nd. There were no injuries. An investigation is underway. A 60-passenger river outfitter bus was forced off the road by speeding vehicles on Cunard River access road on the afternoon of the 23rd. The accident occurred at a narrow section of the road with a steep embankment. The bus went off the road about eight feet and rolled over on its side; fortunately, large trees caught it before it continued over the embankment, as it would have continued down another 50 to 60 feet. The bus had just unloaded a full load of passengers. There were no injuries, but the bus blocked the roadway, which leads to one of the major river access points, for about six hours. It was removed on Sunday. While dealing with the bus accident, rangers received a report of a body seen along the New River just downstream of Cunard by a group of rafters. The body was located around 11 p.m. The victim had been dead for two to three weeks. The investigation is continuing; the death is being treated as a homicide. On Saturday, rangers responded to an incident in which a woman on a horseback trip fell about six feet and sustained a head injury. She was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Charlestown. Rangers responded to a domestic assault at the Stonecliff Beach camping area on Saturday in which a local man got into an argument with his niece and sister. Two arrests were made. Rangers conducted a VIP river trip for Northeast Region regional director Marie Rust and her party on a class IV - V whitewater section of the lower gorge of the New River on Saturday. Rangers contacted a group of 12 college students with paintball guns who were holding a "war" in the Fern Creek area. The war was stopped and several minor injuries from paintballs were treated. Rangers responded to a report of an assault at Grandview on Sunday. A local woman said that she'd been attacked by a stranger along the Canyon Rim trail and pushed over a steep, rocky slope, falling about six to eight feet. She said that she'd spent the night along the trail, then walked out on Sunday. She was disoriented and was treated for contusions and abrasions. A search dog was used to locate the attack site, where her purse was found. A sketchy description of the alleged assailant was obtained. The investigation continues. On Sunday evening, rangers received a report of a possible drowning at Sandstone Falls. The person reporting the incident said he saw a man wading across the top of the 30-foot-high waterfall, then fall over. The river flow was high at the time. A hasty search was conducted that night, then resumed on Monday. It was called off when investigation revealed that the story may have been fabricated. On Monday morning, rangers received a report of a shooting fatality in the Glade Creek area. The victim, W.H., 64, of Beckley, was located at a pull-off on Royal Road and had a fatal gunshot wound to his head. A joint investigation with sheriff's department investigators indicates a probable suicide. W.H. had recently been indicted on about 40 counts of sexual assault on his daughter when she was between seven and fourteen years old, and was to have appeared at an initial hearing the following day. The investigation is continuing. Visitation was heavy throughout the weekend, with campgrounds filled to capacity. Similar summaries are solicited from parks such as these that experience a high degree of activity on this traditionally busy weekend. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 5/26; CRO, GUIS, 5/29; Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 6/1]
One of the main attractions each summer at the Outdoor Drama Theater in the park's Grandview Unit is a play entitled "Hatfields and McCoys," which is about the legendary hill-country feud from earlier this century. On May 17th, the Grandview Unit was filled with visitors who had come to see the rhododendron blooming. Several witnesses saw a man in a "hillbilly hat" and carrying a shotgun run into the woods near a popular trail, shouting epithets about the Hatfields. Fearing for their lives, the visitors ran to the visitor center and notified rangers, who evacuated the area and conducted a search for the man along with Raleigh County deputies. They spotted the man - subsequently identified as J.S. - exiting the woods with a gun in his hand about 30 minutes later. J.S. evaded rangers for a few minutes, but was eventually cornered near the theater prop building and arrested. During the interview, investigators determined that J.S. is an actor in the play and that he suddenly felt the urge to act out the play in real life. They also learned that J.S. is under treatment for manic-depressive disorders, and that he'd been drinking and smoking marijuana during the day. The latter apparently triggered an episode of the former. J.S. was charged with disorderly conduct and released, but discrepancies in his story are still being investigated. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 5/17]
On Saturday, June 13th, C.C. of Anniston, Alabama, drowned while kayaking the lower section of the New River. Participants on a commercial river trip found his body floating face down at the bottom of the class VI Lower Keeney Rapid. They pulled C.C. into the raft and began CPR while paddling to shore. The park was contacted; rangers responded and called in a medivac helicopter. The helicopter hovered over a large rock while C.C. was loaded on board. C.C. never regained consciousness and failed to respond to CPR, which was continued for over 45 minutes. He was flown to a hospital in Beckley and was pronounced dead upon arrival. There were no witnesses to the accident, so it has not been possible to determine the cause. A follow-up investigation revealed that C.C. had apparently come to the river alone and may not have been a very experienced kayaker. He'd contacted two other kayakers in the Cunard launch area who agreed to allow him to paddle with them down the river. His partners reported that C.C. had some difficulty at the class II Warm-Up Rapid, where he came out of his kayak. They last saw him paddling in an eddy at the top of Middle Keeney Rapid. Several "how to" guidebooks on the New River were found in C.C.'s vehicle at the launch area. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 6/14]
Rangers are searching for a 31-year-old local man who disappeared in the New River near Army Camp on the evening of June 24th. A multi-agency search was underway at the time of the report. There have been three other drownings at this location over the last eight years. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 6/24]
A 14-year-old juvenile became lost in the Short Creek area along Beauty Mountain just after noon on July 26th. The boy was a member of a 12-person group from a bible camp associated with Appalachian Bible College, which conducts adventure activities at New River. He was the first of three people to rappell down the cliff, but was not there when the latter two reached the bottom of the cliff. Shortly thereafter, another group of climbers heard someone call for help; when they called back, the person said he was hurt, lost, scared, and needed help. They tried to locate him, but were unsuccessful. The park was notified and a search was begun. It had gone on for about 90 minutes when searchers met people from the bible camp and found that they were looking for the boy. A full-scale search ensued; containment checkpoints were established and dog teams were called in. Around 9 p.m., searchers were notified that the boy had returned safely to his camp in Beckley, about 20 miles away. Interviews with the boy revealed what had happened. After completing the rappell, he went the wrong way and missed the path leading back to the cliff top. He hurt his legs after falling on rocks, had called for help, and had had the exchange with the other climbers. After waiting for about an hour and a half, he became scared and decided it was up to him to find his way out. He walked down the steep gorge to the river, followed railroad tracks along the river, reached the Fayette Station bridge around 7:30 p.m., and got a ride back to his camp from a passing motorist. The boy had several slight bruises on his shins, but was otherwise in good condition and spirits. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 6/26]
On July 5th, rangers contacted a group of ten Ku Klux Klan members at Helms Beach, a primitive camping area on the upper section of the New River. The rangers were conducting a routine camper registration, but found that the group had several firearms in their possession. They voluntarily revealed that they had two handguns and a shotgun; a member of the group who was just leaving took the weapons with him. The remainder of the group was accordingly allowed to stay in the camp. On the evening of July 6th, rangers received a report of a drunk and disorderly group fighting and brandishing firearms in the same camp. A ranger responded with state police backup and again contacted the group. Group members were intoxicated, belligerent and confrontational; they also tried to intimidate the ranger by splitting up and attempting to surround him. After getting them settled down, the ranger and trooper found four firearms in their tents and a vehicle - two 9mm pistols, a .45 pistol and a .308 rifle. They also found and seized a stun gun and a lineman's telephone with alligator clips. Three men, all from North Carolina, were cited for weapons possession - T.B., R.G., and J.R.S., who identified himself as a member of the security service for the Grand Dragon of the KKK. The ranger determined that the group had just returned from a Klan rally in Ohio and had decided to stop and camp in the park on their way back to North Carolina. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/7]
Rangers received a reports of shots being fired in the vicinity of the New River near Thayer on the afternoon of July 14th. They determined that the shots had been fired from a riverside camp into and across the river. The shots, which appeared to have come from a small caliber rifle, narrowly missed visitors and rafts as they headed down the river. One shot landed about three feet from a kayaker on a commercial rafting trip. A former Thayer resident who was visiting his grandmother admitted that he'd fired a .25 handgun from her residence about 7 a.m. that morning, but denied firing shots at the rafting trips in the afternoon. He said that those shots had come from a couple of residences further down the river. All evidence indicates that there were in fact two separate incidents involving different people. There were no injuries. The investigation is continuing. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/15]
Rangers received a report of disorderly behavior in the Sandstone Falls campground on the evening of July 14th. One of the sites was occupied by a family group with several children, including an eight-year-old African American girl; the other was occupied by four middle-aged white males, two of them foreign nationals in the U.S. on visas. When the four men arrived earlier that day, they had plans to hold spaces for 15 other men who were to arrive the following day. They tried to get the family to move out, saying that the site was theirs because they camped there every year. When the family declined to move, the men became abusive, but did not press the issue. After setting up their camp, however, the men started drinking heavily and smoking large amounts of marijuana. They became very loud and directed derogatory comments, some with racial overtones, towards the family group. As the night wore on and the men became more intoxicated, they took a long rope, tied a hangman's noose in it, then threw it over the branch of a large tree. They also made some general comments about hanging someone. Members of the family became very upset and summoned rangers, who arrived around midnight. A consent search of the men's campsite led to the recovery of two concealed handguns, four small baggies of marijuana, and over $1,500 in cash divided into four bank bags. N.K., a German national, and J.F. of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, were cited for possession of firearms; J.F. and T.A. of Ona, West Virginia, were cited for possession of marijuana. The group was quiet through the remainder of the night and was evicted from the campground the following morning. The investigation is continuing. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/15]
Late on the evening of July 20th, a motorist reported that five parachutists had jumped from the New River Gorge Bridge. The incident had occurred about 90 minutes before the call had been made. The responding ranger found T.B. of Monson, Massachusetts, sitting at the commercial outfitter takeout at Fayette Station. T.B. said that he'd had an argument with his friends and that they left him there and drove away. The vehicle returned while the interview was underway. When the driver spotted the ranger, he quickly backed up and left. The vehicle was quickly stopped, and the occupants - W.W. of Lexington, Kentucky, and G.B. of East Patchogue, New York - were interviewed. T.B. and Ballou admitted to parachuting from the bridge; W.W. said that he was the driver and pickup person, but that he hadn't jumped. They said that five people had jumped, four landing in the takeout area and the fifth on the railroad tracks across the river. They gave details and named the other persons involved, but declined to reveal where their gear was stashed. As they left the takeout, rangers saw another man, identified as M.C., standing near Rivers Rafting Company. M.C. admitted to jumping from the bridge, revealed that all the gear was stashed under one of the rafting buses parked at Rivers', and took the ranger to the location. The ranger met with all five parachutists the next day. T.B., G.B., M.C., T.C. and C.S. were cited for disorderly conduct. Nobody was injured in the jump, but the jumper who landed on the railroad tracks narrowly missed trees and a power line. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/22]
A commercial outfitter found the body of a man lodged between rocks in the middle of the New River about two miles downstream from Meadow Creek on the afternoon of July 20th. Evidence was collected at the scene and the body was removed. The cause of death has not been determined, but there is no indication of foul play. Keys found on the body lead rangers to his vehicle, which was parked in the Meadow Creek area. The victim was identified as R.S., 40, of Alderson, West Virginia. R.S.'s family said that he'd been missing for about eight days, but that they hadn't reported him missing to the authorities because he had frequently gone off by himself for several days at a time in the past. An investigation is underway. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/21]
On August 18th, rangers and county deputies responded to a brawl between two groups camping at Stonecliff Beach. The G.s and E.'s, a group of four adults and seven juveniles, were camping at one site. A second group, consisting of five adult men and two adult women from the M./B. clan, arrived around 1 a.m. and begin partying at the campsite next to them. Members of the group had evidently been drinking heavily prior to their arrival. They eventually went down to the river and went skinny dipping. G. knew T.B., one of the nude women, so he asked her if she could keep the group quiet. R.M. apparently became jealous of G. talking to his girlfriend and a fight broke out between the two men. The fight broke up when S.B. jumped into her vehicle and tried to run over D.G. and E.R.E. E.R.E. and G. jumped out of the way, and E.R..E threw a rock through the windshield of B.'s vehicle as it went by. At this point, the M./B. group left the camping area, shouting threats at the G./E/ group as they left. Even though several other campers were disturbed by the riot, nobody called for law enforcement assistance. Around 5:30 a.m., the M./B. group returned, parking their vehicle some distance from the campground and walking to the site. S.E. awoke to someone pounding on her tent; she came out with a flashlight and found the M.s and B.s standing there. One of the men shouted that "you don't mess with the M.s" and smashed the windshield of S.E.'s vehicle with a tire iron. Another man came up behind her and hit her in the hand with a tire iron. D.G. came out of his tent at this time and was hit on the side of the head with a baseball bat, causing a deep laceration near his eye. A fight broke out and continued for several minutes. An uninvolved camper left the area and dialed 911. County deputies were on scene first, but the M./B. group had departed by that time. A joint investigation is underway. Seven people have so far been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and destruction of property. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 8/12]
Two parachutists - T.O., 25, and M.B., 24 - jumped from the New River Gorge bridge around 8 p.m. on August 11th. T.O. landed on the railroad tracks below the bridge and suffered a mild sprained ankle, but M.B.'s parachute malfunctioned and he landed in the trees, fracturing a vertebra in his back and seriously injuring his knee. The park received a report of a critically injured parachutist around 9:30 p.m. Rangers and fire department volunteers searched the area for over an hour, but could not find him. Around 11 p.m., a local hospital advised that they had a patient who'd just been brought in with injuries received in a fall near New River. Rangers interviewed M.B. at the hospital and he admitted to jumping from the bridge. They also contacted T.O. at the scene when he returned to recover M.B.'s parachute. T.O. also admitted to jumping from the bridge. T.O., M.B. and B.W., who drove their vehicle, were charged with illegal air delivery. M.B. was transferred to a hospital in North Carolina on August 12th. He was still in serious condition at the time of the report. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 8/12]
The annual Bridge Day event was held on and in the area of the New River Gorge Bridge on October 17th. During the one-day event, the northbound lanes of the bridge are closed to vehicles so that visitors can walk on the bridge and view fall colors. The main attraction, however, continues to be BASE jumping from the 876-foot high bridge to the landing area in the park below. The park issues a permit to a parachuting organization to allow jumpers to land in the park. The weather this year was perfect - sunny, temperatures in the mid 70s, and very little wind. The 355 registered parachutists made 750 jumps from the bridge. A world record was set when 16 people jumped from the bridge together in an approved, choreographed jump. The jump, which eclipsed the previous record set at the same location in 1997, went off without a hitch. There were 230 water landings over the course of the day, up significantly from last year. These jumpers were rescued by watercraft. Only three parachutists landed in trees, and none sustained serious injuries. Overall, only nine people required treatment, all but three minor. A group of about 210 people from several organizations rappelled from the bridge on 21 rappel lines, the longest of which was about 800 feet. None of the rappellers was injured. The event was managed under a unified incident command system involving the park and several state, county and local agencies. [Rick Brown, IC, NERI, 10/20]
On April 4, 1997, park rangers and the park's criminal investigator followed- up on a recent theft of government property with the issuance of a search warrant at the farm of F.W. and his wife, who are local park neighbors. They recovered a John Deere combination backhoe and front-end loader valued at $45,000 which had been stolen from the park. Also seized were 20 pounds of processed marijuana (valued at $60,000), 198 marijuana plants (valued at about $400,000), over 500 marijuana seeds, over 30 weapons (many assault-type weapons), two stolen vehicles, an operating still with seven gallons of moonshine, dog and cock fight apparatus and animals, four stolen chainsaws, numerous pieces of stolen lawn maintenance equipment, and 20 VIN (vehicle identification number) plates. Two armed individuals with felony arrest records were also arrested. The four defendants were brought to trial this past July; three were found guilty of all charges, and the fourth received a directed not guilty verdict from the judge. On October 12th, the case was brought to a close with the sentencing of the three defendants: o M.W. was found guilty of cultivation of the marijuana plants, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and theft of the park tractor. He was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison and five years' probation and ordered to pay the park $1,166 in restitution. o F.W. was found guilty of cultivation of the marijuana plants, possession with intent to deliver 20 pounds of marijuana, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and theft of the tractor. He was sentenced to five years in prison and nine years' probation and ordered to pay the park $1,166 in restitution. o D.W. was found guilty of cultivation of the marijuana plants, possession with intent to deliver 20 pounds of marijuana, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. She was sentenced to five years in prison and nine years' probation. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 10/30]
A CSX freight train hauling coal through the park derailed around 10 p.m. on March 5th. A total of ten coal cars were involved in the derailment, with three turning completely over and spilling coal into a small creek beside the New River. No hazardous materials or fluids were spilled, and there were no injuries to either the train's crew or park visitors. Rangers are working with CSX to identify the cause of the accident. As of yesterday afternoon, CSX crews had completed cleanup of the area and removed the derailed cars. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 3/7]
A multi-agency task force began an investigation last June into the sales of crack cocaine in a park headquarters parking area. Suspects and modes of operation were identified during an initial surveillance effort through the use of long-range photography and 24-hour video surveillance. The first buys were made last August; over the next several months, 16 grams of crack were purchased and another four grams were seized in a related traffic stop. On March 8th, the investigation came to a head with the execution of one federal and five state arrest warrants in and around the Glen Jean area. Rangers, DEA agents, and officers from three jurisdictions arrested five of the six suspects without incident. All those arrested on state charges were placed on $25,000 bonds; none of them made bail. The following were charged with sales and delivery of crack cocaine - P.M., 50, R.B., 49, C.M., 47, T.R., 34, and F.G., 26. Further arrests are pending. [Chris Schrader, LES, NERI, 3/22]
On March 10th, a contractor employed explosives to remove a hazard within the park. The Kaymoor tipple, originally built in 1900 and reconstructed in 1925, was a huge metal structure used to sort and load coal into railroad cars for transport out of the gorge. Deterioration to the structure since the closing of the mines in the early 1960s has been dramatic, and the huge complex was leaning precariously toward the active CSX railroad tracks some 300 feet below. Some 30 trains each day, including an Amtrak passenger train, pass directly below the structure. Engineers from the Mine Safety and Health Administration and DSC determined that the tipple was in imminent danger of collapse and totally beyond rehabilitation. With the support of and clearance from the state historic preservation officer and the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, DSC contracted with Cleveland Wrecking Company, which hired world-renowned implosion experts from Dykon Corporation for a controlled implosion. On March 10th, a total of five separate charges designed for sequential ignition were placed on the failing support legs and detonated. A huge fireball - estimated to have been five stories in height - was ignited by an accumulation of 75 years of coal dust on the upper floors of the structure and rolled up the hillside dampened by falling snow. The fireball was anticipated and pre-suppression efforts kept residual burning to a minimum. The bulk of the structure came to rest on the ground with form intact. The tipple will be fenced and interpreted as a historic ruin. The incident was managed under the incident command system to address fire, safety, EMS and media concerns. [Rick Brown, IC, NERI 3/20]
On the afternoon of April 17th, a corporate jet skidded off the runway while landing at Raleigh County Airport near Beckley, West Virginia, and came to rest at the bottom of a 150-foot cliff. There were seven people aboard the aircraft at the time of the landing, including the pilot and co-pilot. There was no leakage of fuel and no fire from the crash, and two passengers were able to open one of the plane's doors. One person was able to walk away on his own, and first responders were able to help two moderately injured passengers out of the wreckage. Rangers assisted the local volunteer fire/rescue squad and EMS services in the technical rescue and evacuation of four passengers - two in serious and two in critical condition. All patients were evacuated using a belayed litter technique up the steep 70% slope. The pilot and co-pilot were the most seriously injured, both with multiple fractures and internal injuries. The pilot remains in critical condition; the co-pilot is in guarded condition. Ten rangers from the park team were involved in the incident. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 4/17]
G.F. and his girlfriend C.C. were shot at when they drove into the Thayer Bottom area of the park on the morning of April 24th. G.F. was driving his white Jeep Cherokee down the Thayer Bottom Road and was approaching the CSX railroad tracks when a dark-colored pickup truck crossed the tracks at high speed and ran them off the road. G.F. stopped when a man in the pickup yelled at him. He looked back and saw the man exit the pickup truck and walk back toward him. The man reportedly looked very intimidating, so G.F. sped away across the tracks and took a sharp left turn onto a dead end drive, slowing almost to a stop to make the turn. As he turned, he looked back at the man just in time to see a flash and hear a gun shot from the point where the man was standing. G.F. continued down the dead end road about 100 yards to his grandfather's house, where he reported the incident by telephone. G.F.'s vehicle was not hit and no one was injured. G.F.'s Cherokee looks very much like the patrol vehicles driven by rangers who work in that area. G.F. has only had the vehicle for about a month and had driven it to Thayer on only one other occasion, so local residents do not yet identify him with the Jeep. Law enforcement personnel are therefore concerned that the shooter may have thought he was firing at a ranger. The incident is being investigated jointly by the NPS, the West Virginia State Police, and the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 4/25]
J.D. of Mount Hope, West Virginia, was stabbed three times following a fight at Terry Beach on May 1st. J.D. was camping and drinking with friends about 200 yards upstream from another group camped on a private in- holding at the beach. The latter group was having a loud party with a good deal of drinking. J.D., thinking that he knew someone in the group, decided to walk down to the party and join it. The people in the Terry Beach group didn't like J.D.'s attitude, though, and a fight broke out between J.D. and another man. After the fight ended, J.D. got down on the ground to look for his lost glasses. Someone hit him over the head with a stick, then threw him in the river. As he was trying to get to shore, an unidentified man stabbed him twice in the back and once in the arm with a knife. J.D. staggered back to his camp and woke his friends up; they drove him to a local hospital, where he was treated and released. The incident is currently under investigation by the NPS. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 5/1]
On the afternoon of May 1st, J.J., 23, fell about 30 feet from the top of a waterfall on Marr Branch and sustained multiple injuries. J.J. and his girlfriend, Kristin Bowden, were taking a hike when they came across the waterfall. J.J. wanted a photo from the top of the waterfall with the falls in the background. As he backed up, he lost his footing and fell over the edge. He attempted to grab onto rocks but was unable to arrest his fall. Bowden ran back to the rest of the Rivers Rafting Company group to get help and summon an ambulance. By the time help arrived, J.J. had crawled to the water's edge and climbed onto dry rocks. His friends got him up the trail to Fayette Station Road, where he was picked up by an ambulance and taken to a hospital. He was admitted with multiple facial lacerations and fractures and possible shoulder and wrist fractures. J.J. was later taken to a hospital in Charleston for reconstructive facial surgery. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 5/2]
On the afternoon of May 12th, K.S. and L.J. began what they intended to be a short loop hike, beginning and ending at the campground of Babcock State Park, which is adjacent to New River Gorge NR. K.S. stopped to tie her shoes and told L.J. to go ahead on up the trail and she would catch up to her. L.J. continued to the trail's junction with another, unnamed trail, saw a sign indicating that the trail she was following turned right, and headed in that direction; K.S., only minutes behind L.J., missed the sign and continued straight on the unnamed trail. About a quarter mile past the junction, L.J. came to a road crossing and waited for K.S. for about 15 minutes. When K.S. did not show up, L.J. backtracked and tried to find her, but got turned around on a maze of ATV trails just outside of both park boundaries and emerged at a residence about five miles away around 8:30 p.m. L.J. was able to get a ride back to the campground and report her companion missing to state park rangers. A hasty search was initiated by state and NPS rangers around 10 p.m. Rangers tracked K.S. through the network of undesignated ATV trails and finally into New River NR. They found two notes that K.S. had left attached to tree branches that directed L.J. to continue downhill on the Manns Creek Canyon trail toward the New River, but subsequently lost K.S.'s trail. The search was continued at 6 a.m. the following morning. One of the dog teams employed in the search made voice contact with K.S. along the banks of Manns Creek just before midnight. As the dog's handler approached her location, K.S. suddenly turned and ran in the opposite direction back up the creek. Thinking that K.S. was disoriented, he ran toward her with his dog, stopping just a few feet short of a four-foot-long timber rattlesnake. It was later determined that K.S. came face-to-face with the snake at eye level as she was scrambling over boulders to meet the rescuer, which was the reason for her sudden about face and flight. There were no injuries to the victim, rescuer or snake. K.S. said that she had left the main trail and scrambled up the creek bank about a mile from the main trail. She stopped moving about 11 p.m.; even though she'd fallen into the creek, she had matches and was able to light a warming fire. She backtracked downstream toward the main trail the following morning until she heard shouts from the rescuers. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 5/14]
On Sunday, May 16th, H.K., 52, fell about seven feet while climbing in the park's Endless Wall area, fracturing his ankle. An interagency rescue followed which involved a 60-foot vertical raise to the top of the cliff and a half-mile carryout by litter to a waiting ambulance. H.K. was treated at a local hospital and released. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, 5/18]
On June 11th, rangers received a report of a disorderly conduct incident with shots fired on the New River at Terry Beach. They found about 15 intoxicated and belligerent persons on the private in-holding at Terry Beach known by rangers as "Jack's Place." D.M., who was camped on park land next to Jack's Place and was also intoxicated, thought someone had stolen his cooler full of beer and bologna. D.M. took his axe and went to Jack's Place and demanded his cooler back, allegedly threatening others with the axe. When D.M. refused to leave, J.H,., the owner of the property, went into his shack and got a shotgun and a semi-automatic 9mm handgun. He gave the handgun to Grover Jordan and kept the shotgun for himself. J.H. "asked" D.M. to leave his property several times, but D.M. would not comply. Jordan then stepped in, threatened D.M. with the handgun, then shot it in the air near D.M.. D.M. left and called 911 from his residence. After obtaining details of the incident, rangers entered Jack's Place to talk to Jordan. They crowd remained hostile. When the rangers confronted Jordan, he denied any knowledge of the incident and refused to comply with orders given by the rangers. The situation was becoming threatening, so the rangers attempted to escort Jordan off the property. He resisted and began to fight with them. Pepper spray was used to subdue Jordan and he was forcefully removed from the property. Jordan was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, interfering with agency functions, and resisting arrest. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 6/12]
B.S., 22, of Clarkston, Michigan, fell approximately 60 feet from the Endless Wall while conducting a lead climb on the morning of June 27th. B.S. was leading a 5.11 rated crack route at the time. As he fell, three of his protection pieces pulled free; he bounced once off the wall, then landed face first on the rocky floor below the cliff. A climbing companion ran for help, reaching a phone about an hour later. Rangers, two volunteer fire departments, and an ambulance company responded and conducted a 110-foot vertical raise. B.S. was taken to a level one trauma center in Charleston, where doctors determined that he'd suffered a fractured skull, fractured ribs, an open dislocation of the elbow, a dislocated shoulder, a punctured lung, and possibly other internal injuries. Despite his severe injuries, B.S. remained conscious and alert during the entire rescue and evacuation. He is presently listed in serious condition. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 6/27]
Three parachutists jumped from the New River Gorge Bridge and landed on park land in two separate incidents on June 19th and 21st. On the 19th, rangers found a van parked on the dirt road below the bridge and set up surveillance. Several minutes later, they saw two men - J.M. of Hamilton, Ohio, and E.T. of Maineville, Ohio - hike up a trail carrying parachutes with them. J.M. claimed that this was his first jump from the bridge and that he was new to BASE jumping and didn't log his jumps. E.T. said that he has approximately 265 base jumps, is involved with a BASE jumping team, and would be helping organize Bridge Day in 1999. E.T. has been jumping legally on Bridge Day for six years, but has twice been arrested by rangers for illegal jumps from the bridge. On the evening of the 21st, another ranger saw a parachutist jump from the catwalk of the bridge and land in the area below. A jeep was parked not far away. The driver was contacted and told the ranger that it belonged to her boyfriend, S.P., 25, of Keystone, Colorado. Moments later, the ranger heard the sounds of rustling nylon just below the road, then saw S.P. emerge from the bushes. S.P.'s parachute was found about 20 feet away. Both eventually admitted to their part in the evening's entertainment. S.P. also said that he'd been caught by Fayette County deputies while standing on the bridge with a parachute in his possession in 1997. All four persons were cited for aerial delivery violations and the three parachutes were seized as evidence. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 6/25]
On July 5th, K.J., 49, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, was arrested at Stonecliff Beach for alcohol and firearms violations, disorderly conduct, and threatening federal officers. A ranger registering campers noticed a black plastic gun case in the bed of K.J.'s pickup. An NCIC check of the vehicle and a warrants check revealed that K.J. was a fugitive from Oregon and was a convicted felon. K.J. was sleeping in his tent at the time of the initial observation. Two additional rangers were called for backup and a felony contact was made on K.J. During the course of the arrest and investigation, rangers found that K.J. had a .410 shotgun and alcohol in his possession. K.J. became very belligerent, exhibited extreme mood swings, and verbally threatened the rangers. It was later determined that he was under treatment for manic depression and was not taking his medication. He was arrested on several charges - felon in possession of a firearm, fugitive with a firearm, disorderly conduct, threatening federal officers, and alcohol violations. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 7/6]
On July 10th, rangers responded to two calls of foot entrapments at Big Baloney Rapid, a class II rapid on the New River. Both rescues involved children who were on commercial "duckie" trips with licensed outfitters. A duckie is an inflatable kayak; customers paddle the duckie by themselves and are accompanied by at least one guide in a support raft and a guide in a safety kayak. The first rescue involved a nine-year-old boy who broached his boat on a rock, fell out, and apparently tried to stand up in the rapid. His foot became stuck under the upstream side of a large rock located near the middle of the river. The rest of his body was forced downstream in a head- down position. Guides on the trip reacted quickly, stabilizing his body in a position that kept his head above the surface of the water. As rangers were arriving on scene, the guides were able to pull his leg out from under the rock. He was treated for shock and transported to a local hospital. The second call came minutes after rangers cleared from the first incident. This incident occurred in exactly the same location as the first, and on the same rock. The victim was a six-year-old boy on a duckie trip with another rafting company. As in the first incident, the boy's foot became lodged under the rock when he fell out of the boat. Rescuers were able to swim to the boy and free his leg without the use of ropes or other technical equipment. He suffered only minor injuries and was treated and released at a local hospital. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 7/11]
On the evening of July 15th, a 23-year-old local man who had been "four- wheeling" in his 1998 Dodge pickup truck on the Gauley rail trail (closed to vehicles) became lost. He decided to follow an active railroad track toward the town of Swiss by straddling the tracks, but got stuck when he popped a front tire and the truck frame became wedged and hopelessly stuck on the tracks. He decided to stay in the truck on the tracks all night, as he was "afraid of snakes," but bailed out at dawn, walked to a campground, called home, then continued walking home. When he got there, he found a spare tire and rim, and arrived back at his truck around 11:30 a.m. By that time, however, a train had come by and knocked the truck off the tracks, doing about $2,500 in damage to it. Nobody was injured in the accident, and the truck was driven away. Rangers and Norfolk and Southern Railroad agents are investigating. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 7/18]
L.G., 14, of Charleston South Carolina, was rafting on the New River with her church group on August 13th when her raft flipped and she was thrown into the river at Lower Railroad Rapid. The swift water of the rapid trapped L.G. under a rock for approximately 11 minutes. Guides from the commercial rafting outfitter were able to free her and immediately began CPR. Rangers and county EMS personnel soon arrived on scene and continued CPR. A semi-technical litter raise was used to transport L.G. up to a railroad line, where all rail traffic was suspended. She was then transported out of the gorge by foot and vehicle to a waiting helicopter ambulance that flew her to the Charleston Area Medical Center. Although L.G. was unconscious, rescuers were able to maintain both a pulse and breathing throughout the evacuation. L.G. was admitted to the hospital in critical condition and remained there until she passed away on August 14th. Ranger Audie Critchley served as incident commander for the rescue. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 8/17]
S.S., 33, of Sessionsville, West Virginia, was fishing in the Sandstone Falls area of the New River just after 6 p.m. on August 14th when his fishing line became caught and he waded into the river to retrieve it. Witnesses saw S.S. struggling in the current. He was then swept underwater above Tahiti Rapid and did not reappear. Local EMS, dive teams and park rangers responded and began search operations above and below the rapids. Two park rescue boats equipped with sonar and an underwater camera were used to support the search efforts. The search continued until darkness made diving and boat operations unsafe. Local EMS volunteers utilized portable lighting to maintain visual observation of the area through the night. On August 15th, boat and dive operations resumed at daylight and continued through the day. A West Virginia State Police helicopter was utilized to conduct an aerial search of the river. Stephen's body was located under a rock at the entrance to Tahiti Rapid around 4 p.m. and subsequently recovered. This was the second fatality on the New River in two days and media attention accordingly increased. The park's PIO staff will be working in conjunction with local media on water safety and life jacket messages throughout the week. Supervisory park ranger Dennis Weiland was incident commander for the search and recovery efforts. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 8/18]
West Virginia State Police troopers responded to a report of shots fired in the New Camp area adjacent to the park's boundary just before midnight on August 18th. Troopers found that six bail bondsmen dressed in camouflage clothing had attempted to stop a vehicle on the Kaymore road. The vehicle matched the description of one thought to be driven by R.M., wanted for jumping bail on a misdemeanor DUI charge. The vehicle sped by the bail bondsmen's roadblock, and, according to the bail bondsmen, someone inside fired a shot. They returned fire, attempting to shoot out the tires. After taking statements, the troopers released the bail bondsmen and attempted to contact witnesses. Shots were then heard coming from the Kaymore trailhead parking area within the park. The troopers responded and found that the bail bondsmen had found the suspect vehicle and tried to stop it a second time. When the vehicle refused to stop, they again shot at it, striking it several times in the trunk and rear window. Further investigation revealed that the suspect vehicle was operated by D.M. and B.M., brothers of R.M. The suspect, R.M., was not in the area. The second shooting incident occurred within 150 feet of a private campground located adjacent to the park boundary. No one was injured in either of the shootings. On August 20th, troopers arrested three bail bondsmen - L.D.M., E.J.R. and F.H.B. - on charges of wanton endangerment. A joint state police/NPS investigation is underway. Additional federal charges may be filed in the incident. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 8/22]
T.B., 34, of Kermit, West Virginia, drowned in the New River while fishing near Sandstone on the afternoon of September 3rd. T.B. was wading out about 40 yards from the shore when he stepped into a hole that was about 12 feet deep. Bystanders placed a 911 call, reporting that T.B. had been underwater for about five minutes. Rangers reached the scene about a half hour later and managed the recovery operation, using divers from two volunteer fire and rescue departments and boats equipped with fish finders. The divers recovered T.B.'s body. He was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. Rangers and state police are investigating. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 9/4]
R.C., 36, of Missouri, was driving a tractor-trailer on the Sandstone Mountain section of I-64 on the afternoon of September 6th when he lost control of the rig on a steep downhill grade. The truck hit one vehicle, went another half-mile down the road, jackknifed, flipped and landed on top of another vehicle. The tractor-trailer and second vehicle continued to slide, taking out about 300 yards of guardrail, then went off the road into the park for about 400 yards and over an embankment. J.Z., 25, of Richmond, Virginia, the passenger in the vehicle, was killed immediately; R.C. was taken to a hospital, but subsequently died. M.Z., 30, the driver of the vehicle, and a nine-year-old boy were taken to a local hospital and are in critical condition. Rangers assisted in the rescue, emergency medical treatment, and evacuation of the four victims up the steep slope. State police are leading the investigation. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 9/4]
Da.F. and De.F. of Scarbro, West Virginia, were traveling on McKendree Road around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 26th, when their truck went off the road on a sharp curve, flipped over, fell about 15 feet, and landed upside down in the bed of Buffalo Creek. Both F.s were seriously injured and pinned in the cab. A passing motorist saw the truck in the creek at 8 a.m. and notified the park. Rangers and a local volunteer fire and rescue department responded. It took about an hour to extricate the pair. They were flown to a trauma center in Charleston by two medical helicopters. Both remain hospitalized. A joint investigation is underway with state police. Alcohol may have been a contributing factor. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 9/26]
On September 25th, C.M., 20, of Bluefield, West Virginia, drowned while kayaking on the Gauley River. C.M. came to the park that morning, where he met a group of kayakers from a Pennsylvania paddling club. He traveled with the group to the first major rapid, Koontz Flume, then paddled into the eddy above the rapid just behind the group leader. Strong currents caused C.M. to flip over in his kayak; he was pulled into the rapid and swept toward an undercut rock that was full of logs and other debris. He immediately went totally underwater but was soon able to get a hand above water. The trip leader threw a safety line, which C.M. caught but could not hold on to. Before a second throw attempt could be made, C.M. was pulled down deeper under the rock and could not be seen from above. Members of the club made an unsuccessful attempt to reach him, then flagged down a passing commercial outfitter who radioed out for NPS assistance. Rangers were able to get a rope around his leg, but were unable to pull him free because of the high water and strong current (2800 cfs). The water flow was reduced at the Corps of Engineers' Summersville Dam overnight, and rangers recovered the body without problems the following morning. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 9/26]
The 20th annual Bridge Day celebration was held on October 16th. The event was attended by about 175,000 people. The northbound lanes of the world's largest steel span bridge and the second highest bridge in the United States were closed to vehicle traffic and visitors were permitted to walk out on the bridge. Vendor and exhibition booths were set up in the highway right-of-way on both sides of the bridge. Highlights of the day's events included rappeling by almost 300 rappelers and jumps by over 300 BASE parachutists. The rappelers descended over 800 feet from about 20 rope anchor points; the BASE jumpers made 416 jumps over about six hours. Several two-person, four- person and six-person jumps were made. Six jumpers were injured - two required advanced life support, one for a broken pelvis and the other for compound fractures of the fibula and tibia bones in both legs. Rangers were involved with both rescues. The event was managed in cooperation with the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and state, county and local police departments. Rick Brown served as IC for NPS resources. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 10/19]
S.L.-G., 38, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, sustained numerous serious injuries when she fell about 60 feet from a cliff in the Beury Mountain area on the afternoon of October 29th. S.L.-G. was sitting on the top of the cliff with her husband. The two had been drinking and were arguing just prior to her fall. S.L.-G. asked her husband to get her another beer; as he walked away from her, he heard a loud thud. He was able to work his way around the cliff to the bottom and found his wife seriously injured and unconscious. He then ran back to the top of the cliff and located a hunter with a cell phone; the hunter dialed 911 for assistance. Responding rangers stabilized S.L.-G. and raised her vertically to the top of the cliff. She was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where she was treated for a flail chest, punctured lung, fractured pelvis, fractured tibia and fibula, and possible skull fracture. She remains in critical condition at a level one trauma center in Charleston. Alcohol was definitely a contributing factor in the incident. The investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 11/1]
Local resident J.Z. was electrocuted by high-tension power lines in the Garden Ground area near park headquarters on November 24th. J.Z. had taken his six-year-old son hunting with him that morning, but instead decided to use his high-powered rifle to shoot down the high tension power lines from the main line servicing the Mt. Hope area. J.Z.'s son said that his father had told him to go up the hill and stay out of the way, then had started shooting at the power lines and insulators with his rifle. A live line came down and either hit J.Z. or the ground near him. The boy went to his father, found him unresponsive, then wandered around in the woods for about an hour until a hunter found him and reported the incident via 911. J.Z. was wearing steel-toed boots at the time; he had an entry wound on the foot and an exit wound on his head. When investigators and rangers searched the area, then found a roll of copper wire about 100 feet long near J.Z.'s body. At another location along the power line, they found an area where 100 feet of high-tension copper wire had recently been removed. The two wires matched. Copper wire is a common target for thieves, who then sell it to local scrap dealers. Since the incident occurred outside the park's boundary, rangers provided initial response and assistance at the request of the county sheriff. The investigation continues. [Rick Brown, Operations Unit Leader, NERI, 11/28]
On February 1st, B.H., 63, of Nimitz, West Virginia, was convicted of first degree murder in the 1992 death of his wife, P.R. This case was the culmination of a joint, seven-year investigation by the West Virginia State Police, Summers County Sheriff's Department and the National Park Service. P.R. disappeared from her home on December 15, 1992. In June, 1994, her skull and other bones were found by West Virginia troopers and park rangers and investigators who were searching an illegal dump below Brooks Overlook along State Route 20 inside the park. These remains were sent to the state medical examiner's office, and they determined that she had been killed by blunt trauma to the head. Over the next several years state police and park investigators discovered additional evidence both inside and outside of the park. During the spring of 1998, investigators learned that DNA technology had advanced sufficiently to extract DNA from the bones. The DNA was found to match DNA in the blood found in the trunk of P.R.'s car and in the house that B.H. and P.R. shared. This DNA technology did not exist in 1994 when the bones were found. In November, 1998, B.H. was indicted by a county grand jury for the murder of P.R. During his incarceration prior to the trial, B.H. confessed to the murder to a inmate. Sentencing will be on February 28th. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 2/3]
Rangers responded to a report of a fire at the Sandstone Falls trailhead around 2:30 a.m. on March 14th. The fire had been reported via 911 by the local newspaper delivery man and suppressed by the Hinton Fire Department. The fire destroyed a 30-foot section of boardwalk, including an information kiosk and displays. A preliminary investigation conducted by park rangers and the county fire marshal indicates the cause of the fire to be arson. Damage costs are estimated at over $24,000 for replacement of the boardwalk and the information kiosk. The investigation continues and a reward for information is being coordinated with the local Crime Stoppers program. The trailhead will be closed until reconstruction is completed. This incident occurred in an area of park where the controversial New River Parkway is to be built. Tension has been running high in the area, with several smaller acts of vandalism occurring over the past several months. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 03-14]
On the morning of July 5, 1999, K.J., 49, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, was arrested at Stonecliff Beach for alcohol and firearms violations, disorderly conduct, and threatening federal officers. A ranger registering campers noticed a black plastic gun case in the bed of K.J.'s pickup. An NCIC check of the vehicle and a warrants check revealed that K.J. was wanted in Oregon for a parole violation stemming from a felony drug conviction. K.J. was sleeping in his tent at the time of the initial observation. Two additional rangers were called for backup and a felony contact was made on K.J.. During the course of the arrest and investigation, rangers found that K.J. had a .410 shotgun and alcohol in his possession. K.J. became very belligerent, exhibited extreme mood swings, and verbally threatened the rangers. It was later determined that he was under treatment for manic depression and was not taking his medication. He was arrested on several charges - felon in possession of a firearm, fugitive with a firearm, disorderly conduct, threatening federal officers, and alcohol violations. K.J. subsequently pled guilty to the first charge. On March 13th, he was sentenced to two years and three months in prison and three years of probation. K.J. will serve his time under psychiatric care. [Rick Brown, Protection Operations Leader, NERI, 3/24]
On the morning of May 29th, a CSX coal train derailed within the park at Long Bottom, about two miles upstream from Sandstone Falls. The derailment occurred when the track pulled apart as the train was passing through the area. A section of track about 1800 feet long was destroyed and 17 fully-loaded coal cars derailed, spilling about 2,000 tons of coal on park land. CSX crews contained the spill and none of it reached the New River. No other contaminants were involved and there were no injuries in the accident. CSX is actively involved in cleaning up the spilled coal; rangers and resource management staff are monitoring the cleanup efforts and assessing environmental impacts. The derailed cars will be removed for salvage beginning tomorrow. CSX planned to have the tracks open by the evening of May 30th. [Rick Brown, ACR/Operations, NERI, 5/31]
A CSX coal train hit a vehicle parked along the tracks in the Thayer area on the morning of May 28th. C.D. of Thayer, the driver of the vehicle, pulled it up alongside the railroad tracks, parked, and fell asleep in the driver's seat. Unfortunately, the rear of C.D.'s car extended over the tracks. When the coal train came by at about 3:30 a.m., the engineer was unable to stop it before it hit the car, knocking it off the tracks. C.D. was not injured - in fact, he was not even awakened. C.D. was arrested for parking in a railroad right-of-way and for creating a hazardous condition. Alcohol was a major factor in the incident, which was jointly investigated by the park and the county sheriff's department. [Rick Brown, ACR/Operations, NERI, 5/31]
W.S., 47, of Sanaford, West Virginia, was swimming off Terry Beach in the New River on the afternoon of June 12th when he became exhausted, yelled for help, then slipped under water and did not resurface. J.H., owner of the property adjacent to the beach, swam out to W.S. on an inner tube, found him underwater, and pulled him to shore. W.S. was not breathing, cyanotic, and unresponsive. Two of W.S.'s friends, who'd been drinking, began CPR on him. A third person, not a member of the W.S. party, attempted to help in the resuscitation, but a fist fight ensued over who would revive W.S.. During the altercation, rangers arrived on scene, reestablished order, and continued treatment of the victim. CPR was effective and W.S. resumed breathing. He was taken to a hospital for further treatment. Alcohol was a major contributing factor to both the near drowning and the altercation. Rangers are conducting follow-up investigations into both incidents. [Rick Brown, ACR/Operations, NERI, 6/14]
M.C., 25, of Welch, West Virginia, drowned in the New River while fishing near Prince on the morning of June 10th. M.C. was wading in the river with two friends at the time of the accident. He stepped off a rock ledge into a deep hole and was swept downstream by the swift current. One of his friends tried to reach him, but also stepped off the ledge and was swept down the river. He made it to shore, but M.C. went under and did not resurface. Ranger and volunteers from three area fire departments responded and began a search. M.C.'s body was found just after noon near the point where he was last seen and about eight feet under the water. M.C. was not wearing a life jacket. [Rick Brown, ACR/Operations, NERI, 6/12]
Rangers responded to a report of a gunshot fired at a train traveling through the park late on the evening of June 24th. The conductor notified the railroad's dispatcher that someone had fired a weapon at the train near Claremont. The projectile hit the bullet-proof glass on the side of the engine near the point where the conductor was standing, but did not enter the compartment. The conductor said that he would have been hit in the chest if the window had been down, which is normal when trains run through this stretch of the park. Because of the size of the indentation and the impact made, the conductor thought the projectile was from a large caliber firearm. Rangers investigated and located witnesses who were camping along the New River who recalled hearing a gunshot that was followed by the sound of a vehicle speeding away. No suspects have been identified at this time. The investigation continues. [Rick Brown, ACR/Ops, NERI, 6/25]
M.H., 39, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, was fishing near the DunGlen Ranger Station around 9:30 p.m. on July 1st when he was abducted and robbed at gunpoint by two men. He was then driven in his own car to a remote area of the park, tied to a tree, and left there. M.H. was able to free himself, walk about five miles to a telephone, and call authorities. M.H.'s car was recovered two days later in Mount Hope, about 15 miles away. Much of the valuable property in the vehicle had been taken, including a .38 caliber revolver that M.H. kept in his cooler. M.H. has described his abductors to investigators, and composite drawings have been made. Investigators are currently following several leads. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 7/5]
River patrol rangers Melissa Dragon, Alicia Hill and Bryan Hunter were on safety patrol at the bottom of Middle Keeney rapids on the afternoon of August 4th. They were positioned directly above a particularly dangerous obstruction full of undercut rocks and sieves known as the Meatgrinder or Killer Falls. The river was running at a moderately high level and most of the current was pushing towards the Meatgrinder. A commercial raft hit a large hydraulic in Middle Keeney sideways, dumping three people into the water. One person was rescued immediately by the guide, but the other two were quickly swept downstream toward the Meatgrinder. The rangers quickly rescued one of them with a throw bag, then chased the other, who was becoming very tired and getting closer to the rocks. He was rescued just before being swept into the undercut rocks. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 8/7]
On Saturday, October 21st, the park participated in the 21st annual Bridge Day celebration. The event was attended by about 150,000 people. During Bridge Day, the northbound lanes of the world's largest single-span bridge are closed to vehicle traffic and people are allowed to walk out onto the bridge; vendor and exhibitor booths are set up in the highway right-of-way on both sides of the bridge. The highlight of this year's event was a 15-person BASE parachute jump, which set a new world record. Overall, 300 BASE jumpers completed 770 jumps from the bridge. Rangers joined in several water and land rescues of BASE jumpers. Twelve injuries were reported, but only half required advanced medical treatment and transport. The remainder were treated on scene. Along with these jumps, a total of 243 rappellers completed 497 rappels off the bridge, descending more than 700 feet. Among them was superintendent Pete Hart, who became the first superintendent to rappel from the bridge. The event was managed in cooperation with the Bridge Day Committee and with the assistance of state, county and local agencies. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 10/24]
Rangers received a report of a fire in the Pound Bottom area of the park around 2:30 a.m. on December 5th. The fire was located in a remote backcountry area about two miles downstream of the community of Terry and was only accessible from the river or a very rough four wheel drive road. The fire was initially reported to 911 by the engineer of a CSX train traveling through the gorge. Members of a volunteer fire department searched for the fire for about two hours before notifying the park of the report. When the fire was located by responding rangers, they discovered that the historic Gwinn house, owned by the park, had been totally destroyed by fire. All that was left standing were the two chimneys and the stone foundation. The Gwinn house was a large, two-story wooden frame house that dated back to the early 1900s. The house was vacated in the early 1990s and had since been the site of some vandalism, including the theft of the chestnut trim and solid oak flooring. The park purchased the house in 1999. Some vandalism and theft continued, but at a reduced rate. Arson is suspected in the case; an investigation by rangers is underway. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 12/7]
On the afternoon of December 9th, visitors in the Fayette Station area of the park called 911 via cellular phone and reported that several parachutists had just jumped off of the New River Gorge Bridge and landed on park property below. The visitors took photos of two of the parachutist in mid-air, then called 911 again with vehicle descriptions when the jumpers drove off. Rangers and officers from several other law enforcement agencies responded and stopped both vehicles. Four men - J.K. of Landsdowne, Pennsylvania, R.E.W. of Alexandria, Virginia, D.G.M. of Louisville, Kentucky, and D.E.B. also of Louisville - were issued mandatory appearance violation notices for aerial delivery. D.G.M. and D.E.B. got out of the second vehicle just before it was stopped and hid in a wooded field near the roadside. Rangers located the two men after a short search. Each of the four men was found to have a portable two-way radio in his possession. It appears that jumpers in the first vehicle radioed those in the second vehicle with a warning after the former was stopped. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 12/11]
An investigation was begun last January into some letters that had been addressed to one of the park's rangers and were sent to headquarters. The letters appeared to be a legal claim against the ranger and asked that $5 million be remitted to the claimant. The ranger had arrested the claimant in the past, but no basis could be found for the claim. Other letters arrived containing completed copies of IRS Form 8300 and stating that the ranger had deposited $5 million in an account for the claimant, which was untrue. The IRS was contacted and a joint investigation was begun. Investigators found that the same individual had filed claims against many other government employees, including IRS agents, federal judges, assistant U.S. attorneys, and state and local police - a total of 67 claims (to date) for over $313 million. The suspect was running a scheme called "Redemption," which has two objectives -- to harass and intimidate government officials, and to pass fake Treasury checks called site drafts. The suspect was found to be a member of several anti-government groups known to employ this scheme. Investigators also found that he was a convicted felon and had several firearms at his residence. An undercover operation was begun in which the suspect's group and remote compound were infiltrated. Additional intelligence was acquired, as was probable cause for a search warrant. On December 7th, the suspect was lured from his residence/compound by the undercover officer and arrested on a warrant charging him with fraudulent claims (18 USC 287). A search warrant was executed at his home at the same time. The residence was secured by the state police special response team and cleared for explosives by the state fire marshal's bomb squad. The building was searched by 23 special agents from the IRS, NPS, FBI and ATF. They found and seized over 30 boxes of documents, eight firearms and ammunition, about $150,000 in cash, 23 100-ounce bars of silver, and large number of silver coins. The suspect is currently being held and awaiting a detention hearing. Additional federal firearms violations have been filed. The investigation into the suspect's activities continues. If you have any questions about either the Redemption scheme or this case, please contact special agent Chris Schrader. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 12/11]
On December 8th, members of a local drug task force learned that two suspected drug traffickers would be arriving in the park via a passenger train and were reputedly carrying crack cocaine. Rangers and task force officers set up a surveillance operation at the train station where they would be arriving, which is within the park. When the two men -- S.F. of Whipple, West Virginia, and C.P. of Brooklyn, New York -- arrived at the station, they were contacted and questioned. After several evasive answers, the officers were given consent to search their bags. A drug dog alerted on a bag which was seized and found to contain a couple of ounces of marijuana and nearly 85 grams of crack. The street value of the latter was placed at about $4,000. Both men were arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. [Chris Schrader, SA, NERI, 12/12]
A 16-year-old boy fell about 50 feet while making a top rope climb at Junkyard Wall late on the afternoon of December 18th. He was being belayed by his partner when he fell unarrested from a point near the top of the cliff to the rocky ground below. The victim's climbing partner determined that he'd suffered multiple critical injuries, then went to a home about a half mile away to report the incident. Rangers, members of two volunteer fire departments, and an ambulance company responded and conducted a 60-foot vertical raise to the top of the cliff, then wheeled him on a litter to an ambulance. The entire rescue took about an hour and was conducted in complete darkness with battery-powered lights. The boy was taken to a trauma center in Charleston, where he was found to be suffering from a compound fracture of the lower leg, a possible spinal fracture, and lacerations to his head. Despite his severe injuries, the boy remained conscious and alert during the entire rescue and evacuation. He was listed in critical condition at the time of the report. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 12/19]
J.N., an interpretive ranger and former writer/editor at the Denver Service Center, passed away late on the evening of February 20th as a result of injuries incurred in a kayaking accident three days earlier on Mill Creek just outside the park. Recent rains caused the creek to run high and strong. While kayaking on it, J.N.'s boat became pinned between two rocks, and he was held underwater for about ten minutes. Friends rescued him and immediately began CPR. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he remained in intensive care and on life support until he passed away. J.N. is survived by his wife, M., and his sons, K., age five, and B., age three. A memorial service will be held at the Dodd-Payne-Hess Funeral Home on Maple Avenue in Fayetteville, West Virginia, at 11 a.m. on February 24th. The park will be providing an honor guard. Cards and condolences may be sent to the family. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to a college fund for K. and B. c/o J.W. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 2/22]
An interagency investigation into the illegal sales of the prescription pain medication OxyContin was begun along the park's south boundary last September. Over a three-month period, 25 controlled buys of the drug were made. During the investigation, rangers learned that much of the drug was being funneled through one main dealer who lived in the River Road area inside the park. On the morning of March 7th, 21 people were indicted by a state grand jury on 48 felony counts, including delivery of a controlled substance and child neglect (dealing drugs while children were present in the vehicle). Interagency teams executed the arrest warrants that same afternoon and evening. Fifteen people were arrested by that night; another five more turned themselves in, and one person remains at large. During the consent searches and searches incident to arrest, rangers and officers seized a dozen firearms, $4,000 in cash, five video poker machines, and hundreds of prescription pills of various kinds. The interagency team had over 60 officers, agents and rangers from various departments, including DEA, the multi-county Trident Drug Task Force, the state police (including their special response and entry team), state DNR, and local county and city police. Clerical assistance at the post-arrest processing center was provided by the NPS. The investigation is continuing; further arrests are possible. [Chris Schrader, SA, NERI, 3/13]
On the evening of March 29th, ranger Audie Critchley overheard 911 radio traffic about a man who appeared to be preparing to jump from the New River Gorge Bridge. Critchley was at a ranger station on the north end of the bridge at the time and was on scene within three minutes. He saw a car parked near the center of the bridge and a 22-year-old man from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, sitting on the top railing of the bridge, hanging on with his hands placed behind him. Critchley parked about 100 feet away, got out of his cruiser, and tried to get the man's attention by calling to him and waving his arms. At the same time, three local officers approached from the other side of the bridge. Within seconds, the man released his grip on the railing and fell from the bridge, landing on the river bank 870 feet below. Critchley and the officers located his body about 40 minutes later. The incident is being jointly investigated by the park and county sheriff's department. The county coroner has ruled the incident a suicide. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 3/29]
A freight train traveling through the park on the CSX mainline derailed near Meadow Creek on April 2nd. Forty-one cars left the tracks and spilled several thousand tons of whole-kernel corn. Damage was limited to the CSX right-of-way and to private property adjacent to the tracks. There were no injuries and no park property was involved. Several thousand pounds of corn spilled into a small tributary of the New River. The spill and cleanup are being monitored by resource management and protection staff. The accident was evidently caused by a faulty switch. [Chris Schrader, SA, NERI, 4/3]
On the afternoon of December 9, 2000, visitors in the Fayette Station area of the park called 911 via cellular phone and reported that several parachutists had just jumped off of the New River Gorge Bridge and landed on park property below. The visitors took photos of two of the parachutist in mid-air, then called 911 again with vehicle descriptions when the jumpers drove off. Rangers and officers from several other law enforcement agencies responded and stopped both vehicles. Four men - J.K. of Landsdowne, Pennsylvania, R.W. of Alexandria, Virginia, D.M. of Louisville, Kentucky, and D.B. also of Louisville - were issued mandatory appearance violation notices for illegal aerial delivery. On April 6th, all four pled guilty in magistrate's court. Each was fined $600. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 4/8]
S.M., 33, of Wadsworth, Ohio, parachuted from the New River Gorge Bridge at 1:40 a.m. on April 7th. It was dark and overcast at the time of the jump and very foggy within the gorge. S.M. was evidently unable to see his landing zone and landed in treetops below and upstream from the bridge. He then released himself from his parachute harness and fell 40 feet, landing on the rocky ground below. Two companions - J.M., 37, and A.P., 20, also from Ohio - called 911 for assistance. Rescuers found him about 45 minutes later. He was semi-conscious and had a fractured arm and extensive head trauma. A multi-agency team comprised of rangers, county police, and fire and EMS personnel stabilized S.M. and transported him up the steep slope to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to a hospital, then transferred to a trauma center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he is listed in critical condition. Alcohol may have been a contributing factor. S.M. will be charged with illegal aerial delivery; J.M. has been charged with aiding and abetting. An investigation is underway. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 4/8]
A man stopped his vehicle on the New River Gorge Bridge just after midnight on April 6th, left a suicide note in it, then climbed over the railing of the bridge with the intent of jumping into the 876-foot-deep gorge. A passing motorist saw him standing on the railing and called 911. County deputies responded, closed off both ends of the bridge, and attempted to talk him down from the railing. After about an hour of negotiations, he began walking along the top railing, lost his balance, and fell onto the road surface of the bridge. Deputies ran up and grabbed him before he could get up. The man said that he was depressed because of a long-term illness and voluntarily committed himself to the state mental health system. Rangers assisted the county with the road closure and follow-up investigation. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 4/9]
R.R., 22, of Beckley, West Virginia, was fishing from rocks in the New River above Sandstone Falls with three companions on the afternoon of April 22nd. R.R. decided to return to shore, but was caught by the swift current while attempting to do so and swept downstream and over the falls, a drop of about 20 feet. There is also a major hydraulic at the bottom of the falls (a hydraulic is sort of like a circular current and is hard to escape). A member of the party jumped into the river in an effort to rescue R.R.; he, too, was caught in the current, but was able to make it to shore before going over the falls. Rangers and volunteer rescuers responded around 5:30 p.m. and began a hasty search of the area using boats and SCUBA divers. Rangers then spotted R.R.'s two other companions stranded on a rock further upstream. Ranger Mark Carrico rescued them by boat. The two were mildly hypothermic but otherwise okay. The search and recovery operation for R.R. continues. The NPS is leading the search operation and investigation. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 4/23]
On April 28th, the body of R.B., 22, of Beckley, West Virginia, was found by searchers about a half mile downstream from Sandstone Falls on the New River. R.B. was last seen when he went into the river while fishing with four friends on April 22nd. The park received a great deal of assistance from local fire departments, dive teams, boat operators, search teams and dog handlers throughout the seven-day search. The county coroner and state medical examiner are assisting rangers and the park's special agent with the follow-up investigation. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 4/23]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia (see attached digital photo). Within the park, the Canyon District received the most damage. Several homes within and adjacent to the park were destroyed or severely damaged. The village of Thayer, located along the New River within the park, has been completely cut off from vehicle access. Ranger C.W. Mitchem had just driven into the village of Thayer when a flash food washed out the bridge and road behind his vehicle. Mitchem helped the citizens of Thayer evacuate their homes and escape the raging flood waters. A boat evacuation of the village was conduced by the park's river patrol rangers. Visitors were also evacuated from camping and day-use areas. One rescue of two young boys who had become separated from their group by flood waters lasted over twelve hours. In Glen Jean, several homes and buildings were flooded, including the park headquarters complex. The floor of the main park building was approximately an inch above the high water line. The maintenance complex and natural resource management offices were not so lucky, receiving four to six inches of flooding throughout the buildings. Park maintenance employees were able to restore power and telephone service to the main headquarters building on Monday. Several roads within the park have been closed due to severe damage. The road to Cunard, a major commercial river access, is covered by a mudslide. Fayette Station Road, the primary river takeout, has been extensively damaged, with several hundred yards of the road completely washed away. Evacuations of stranded park visitors and residents continued throughout the day. The park is operating under the incident command system. A damage assessment has been initiated. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 7/10]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, a Southeast Region IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) was dispatched to the park to assist with recovery operations. A delegation of authority was signed, and the IMT developed the following objectives: o Conduct all operations in a safe manner following appropriate Departmental and Service guidelines. o Conduct and complete a damage assessment report that identifies park facilities and natural and cultural resources that have been damaged by the flooding, and identifies methods and costs of restoration. o Maintain a system of cost accountability and assist the park in tracking of overall costs and property issues related to the incident. o Assist the park in the planning and implementation of actions to mitigate further damage to resources or private property, and to restore normal visitor and community use. o Coordinate the flow of flood-related information to park employees, cooperators, the general public, and the media. o Assure all activities are in compliance with environmental regulations, policies, and guidelines. Community aid and public safety are of paramount importance. The park is actively involved in providing access and services to the village of Thayer, which was cut off from the outside world by landslides and washed out bridges. A number of trails which parallel the river remain closed, as does the Thurmond Depot Visitor Center. Continuing work by the state department of highways on its rights-of-way both within and outside the park, coupled with CSX railroad repairs, has slowed visitor traffic. Resource damage estimates are ongoing and will be augmented by the additional personnel assigned to the incident. The storm caused massive slides, opened sinkholes, exposed some previously unknown cultural resources, and even relocated a waterfall some 60 feet back from its original location. While ten of the twelve major river access points are open to the public, the most popular ones - Cunard and Fayette Landing - remain closed. Alternative access points have been identified and the 30 commercial outfitters in the area have adjusted their trips and schedules. Private boater access has been aided by a shuttle service established through the efforts of the non-profit West Virginia Rivers Coalition. A major team effort for the coming week will focus on restoring limited commercial boat takeout access at Fayette Station. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/14]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, a Southeast Region IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery operations. Efforts yesterday centered on community aid. Park maintenance staff assigned to the incident used heavy equipment to help the National Guard remove massive amounts of debris from the neighboring community of Minden. The commander of the Guard unit assigned to the Fayette county area gave high praise to the National Park Service for its assistance. Elsewhere, river patrol rangers provided water and other essentials to citizens of another neighboring community. Thayer, the site of a dramatic NPS rescue operation during the height of the flooding on July 8th, has been cut off from vehicular access by a series of landslides. A trails assessment conducted by the park staff was scheduled to be completed on Sunday. Natural and cultural resource assessments will continue through this week. A state contractor will begin work on the road to Thurmond today, and this will likely cause some traffic delays in that area. This road is a major access artery for both commercial and private boaters. Safety concerns include vehicle congestion during cleanup operations on very narrow, winding roadways, sinkholes and slides created by the flood, and an unusual number of copperhead and timber rattlesnake sightings in developed areas. Since the arrival of the team, media attention has largely focused on the flood's impact on the tourist economy. Attempts are being made to broadcast messages regarding support of community recovery operations and resource preservation. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/15]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery operations. Work on stabilizing the Fayette Station day use area for boater access has been completed. The IC, deputy IC, operations chief, and information officer attended a meeting of the local whitewater rafting association and shared information about how the incident is being managed, alternative transportation routes and take-out sites, and timetables for completion of some tasks. The team was well received and the outfitters, though very concerned about closures of roads and areas, showed a positive spirit of cooperation in the wake of the flood. All await the report of the Federal Highway Administration inspectors, due to arrive today. Priorities for repair are the NPS bridge over Wolf Creek at Fayette Station and the severely cracked and apparently unstable Cunard Road. There are still some stranded vehicles, including one rafting outfitter's bus, in the Cunard area. River patrol rangers report that trash in the New River is not as big a problem as expected, but that there are pockets which need cleanup. Fuel oil and propane tanks dislodged by the flood may pose a significant safety hazard. Results from yesterday's water quality testing should be received by the end of the week. Although some park facilities are inaccessible by road, such as comfort stations and picnic areas along the river, they are open and are still being used by boaters. River patrol rangers are helping maintain these areas. Minor trail rehab is progressing and a few more trails have been reopened. Media attention is increasing. The weather forecast includes a good chance of showers and thunderstorms until the weekend. The IMT would like to thank all who responded to the call for technical specialists to serve on the natural and cultural resource damage assessment team. The team has been formed and some members will arrive as early as today. An aerial reconnaissance utilizing a GPS-enabled digital camera is scheduled for Friday. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/17]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery operations. A list of at-risk resources is currently being developed to assist the Resource Assessment Team (affectionately becoming known to the IMT as "RATs"). The list will provide an orientation to the team and a starting point for the assessment. The Federal Highway Administration inspection team arrived on Wednesday and immediately began surveying the damage to Cunard and other park roads and the wooden bridge over Wolf Creek at Fayette Station. Another area of concern is the Thurmond Visitor Center parking lot, which has developed a large and potentially unstable crack in its surface. This facility remains closed to the public. Figures are in on the cleanup work park crews performed in the neighboring community of Minden - a total of 900 cubic yards of debris was removed from the town. A trail crew from Shenandoah NP has been ordered. They will be working Thursday through Monday to clear downed trees, rocks, and earth from park trails. Work crews are also stabilizing the walkway ramp at Stone Cliff, along with private boater access at Dunglen. This should be completed on Thursday. Initial water quality results from Monday's sampling have been received and show good water quality in the lower New River Gorge. Even some areas which frequently exceed state standards registered relatively good scores. Analysis requires a 24-hour incubation period, so the results from Tuesday's sampling will be available later. Additional sampling will be done in selected creeks today. While the Fayette Station day use area has been stabilized with rip-rap and gravel, the state-maintained road into the area has yet to be repaired. Operations are gearing up to open the area for commercial rafting outfitter off-loading and bus pickup of passengers by the weekend, depending on the state's progress. There was a small amount of rainfall in the area on Wednesday, and the team and park staff breathed a sigh of relief when a flash flood watch was lifted in the morning. For more information on the flood and IMT operations and pictures of the area, see the park's web site at http://www.nps.gov/neri/flood2001.htm. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/18]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery operations. The team from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) inspected the Wolf Creek Bridge at Fayette Station yesterday and determined that the approaches and abutments needed to be grouted. The process should take seven to eight days. The FHWA initial reaction to cracks in Cunard Road was to conduct a disturbance assessment of the area. The already assembled Resource Assessment Team (RAT) will look at Cunard in the very near future. Stabilization of boat launching facilities at Stone Cliff and Dunglen has been completed. A roads crew will go to Thayer on Friday to conduct initial cleanup and assess future needs for the campground, picnic area, and boat ramp. Fayette Station Road traffic planning awaits a firm decision by the West Virginia Division of Highways about the status of the road. Team members met with state officials today to discuss ways to make the road safe. The road has sloughed off significantly in one area and the long-term solution could take weeks to perform, but the state is considering some short-term fixes. Private boater shuttle access will again be provided this weekend by a commercial service arranged through the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. Coalition authorities expect a significant increase in use this weekend. The shuttle leaves from the K-Mart parking lot at Oak Hill, and boaters are picked up at Teays Landing. More information on this service is available on the park's website at http://www.nps.gov/neri. A crew from Shenandoah National Park continues clearing trails, according to park priorities. Total incident costs to date amount to $73,600. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/19]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery operations. Here's today's update on developments: o Two park employees lost their homes and several employee homes sustained significant damage during the flood. This has been a very trying time for these employees and their families, so an NPS critical incident stress peer support counselor was requested by the team and arrived yesterday. o Today, river patrol rangers will record GPS coordinates for the new alluvial fans created by the flood. Some of these fans are associated with slide areas that may become hazardous with future rains. The Resource Assessment Team (RAT) estimates there are some 75 to 80 slides to investigate within the gorge, but has determined that most of these pose no safety threats. o The traffic plan for Fayette Station has been successfully implemented. Commercial outfitter use of the temporary take-out was orderly. The park decided to close vehicle access to the South Fayette Station Road due to unstable soil conditions at the Cole property parking area. o Work progressed yesterday on trail clearing near Thurmond and on cleanup of facilities at Thayer. Stone Cliff, one of the more heavily damaged trails, is now open. The New River trails and roads crews have worked for 14 straight days and will take today off. The Shenandoah crew will continue until Wednesday. o The West Virginia Division of Highways is working feverishly on the Thurmond Road; traffic delays have occurred, but have been short - even on a busy summer weekend. o Costs to date, including those incurred by the park before the arrival of the IMT have now come to $104,600. For more information on recovery operations and pictures of the area, see the park web site at http://www.nps.gov/neri/flood2001.htm. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/21]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery operations. Here's today's update on developments: o The resource assessment team (RAT) completed compliance disturbance assessments on the Cunard Road, clearing the way for widening of the road to bypass unstable sections caused by the flooding. The IMT is working with Federal Highway Administration officials to get the funding and contracting process underway. o The RAT also completed an investigation of the large slide near Elverton. The report was encouraging for public safety, but not so for historic structures located below the slide. While the slide is creeping toward the structures and will likely affect them at some point, it does not pose any real danger to river rafters and other recreational users - even if significant rainfall occurs. The team recommends that the threatened structures be documented. It is important to note that not all slides have been assessed, and some may still be quite hazardous. The RAT plans to provide a report to park management by July 30th. o The Shenandoah trail crew completed work on the Glade Creek trail, which has been reopened. The New River trails crew will work on the Thurmond-Minden trail today. The Shenandoah crew will clear the Kaymoor trail. The roads crew will repair roads associated with the Glade Creek, Grandview Sandbar, and McCreery public use areas. The cleanup of the Thayer facilities was completed on Saturday. For more information on IMT operations and pictures of the area, see the park's web site at http://www.nps.gov/neri/flood2001.htm. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/22]
During the above-noted flood, rangers were engaged in a number of rescue operations in communities along the river. After clearing several sections of Route 25 and checking on several other flooded areas on the 8th, rangers Bryan Hunter, David Finch and Audie Critchley headed upstream to Todd Beach to check on reports of stranded campers. They discovered two cars parked in an area next to the railroad tracks, both severely damaged from rock and mud slides. Five people and a dog were evacuated from the beach and taken to Thurmond. The rangers then headed up to Thayer and evacuated 17 people from that area. They also helped people move their belongings out of harm's way from the rapidly rising creek and went door-to-door to every house in Thayer Bottom, advising residents that they needed to evacuate. Over the next two days, the rangers evacuated another 30 people from Thayer. [Incident report, NERI, 7/16]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) has been assigned to assist with recovery operations. Here's today's update on developments: o The Federal Highway Administration has approved funding for flood-caused road repairs and the contracting process is underway for emergency work on the Cunard Road. Estimates are that it will take seven to ten days to make the road passable. This is very good news for rafting outfitters, as well as for private boaters. A local construction company has begun contract work on the Wolf Creek bridge at Fayette Station. The bridge provides access to the park's most popular commercial rafting take out area. The de-watering process which exposed the abutments revealed an extremely large area of undermining on the south end. If not for one boulder staying in place, that end of the bridge would have fallen. The contractor expects to be finished shoring up the foundation by late Friday, barring any unforeseen delays. o The New River roads crew has completed cleanup work on park facilities at Glade Creek and Grandview Sandbar. They will work on the McCreery launch site today. The Shenandoah trail crew is still working on the Kaymoor trail; the New River trail crew is making repairs to the Southside Junction trail. Handwork on the Thurmond-Minden trail has been completed, but mechanized equipment will be required to finish the job. o The cultural component of the resource assessment team (RAT) finished fieldwork yesterday and will begin compiling a report. Two new team members arrived - a geomorphologist to look at alluvial fans and an ecologist to deal with landscape restoration. The infrastructure group is compiling documentation of roads and trails repair activities. The RAT's compliance section anticipates most mitigation work to fall under categorical exclusions, but some river channel projects may require environmental assessments. o Planning has begun to transition the incident back to the park. Total incident costs to date: $130,200. For more information on IMT operations and pictures of the area, see the park's web site at http://www.nps.gov/neri/flood2001.htm. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/23]
On July 8th, severe rains caused flash flooding throughout southern West Virginia. Due to the impacts on the park, the Eastern IMT headed by Bob Panko (Everglades NP) was assigned to assist with recovery operations, but has now concluded its work. The transition plan has been approved by superintendent Cal Hite and the team ended its control of operations at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The park plans to continue recovery operations under ICS, with Rick Brown as incident commander. The resource assessment team has finished is field work but will stay on to prepare a final report, which is to be completed by Tuesday. The contract for the repair of Cunard Road has been prepared and a contractor has been selected. Equipment will be moved in this weekend and work will start on Monday. Even though crews will be working six days a week, ten hours a day, the contractor expects the job to take up to four weeks. Workable solutions to shore up the undermined abutment at Wolf Creek Bridge have been identified and work is progressing. NERI crews made progress yesterday in cleaning up trash and removing hazardous trees in the Thayer area. [Kent Cave, IO, New River Gorge Flood Incident, 7/25]
On July 8th and 26th, heavy rains caused serious flooding throughout southern West Virginia, including New River Gorge. A Type III IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is currently managing recovery operations in the park. The resource assessment team will have a draft of its report ready for review by park management on Monday. The team continued its work on about 50 specifications yesterday, including mitigating risks to cultural resources, re-routing trails, keeping invasive species out of slide areas, and preparing to tell the story of this largely natural event to the public through interpretive media. Weather is and will be an issue for park and incident operations through the weekend. A flood watch has been posted for the entire area through noon today. [Barbara Stewart, IO, IMT, 7/28]
On July 8th and 26th, heavy rains caused serious flooding throughout southern West Virginia, including New River Gorge. A Type III IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is currently managing recovery operations in the park. The most recent flooding spared park headquarters, but at least one employee's home was damaged. Rising waters above the Gauley River - part of the park - caused the Corps of Engineers to shut down a wastewater treatment plant, which in turn forced the park to shut down a lift station at its campground and close the campground. Waters on Summersville Lake, which is behind an earthen dam across the Gauley, are expected to crest at midnight today. Before flood warnings were issued, park staff removed an unsafe structure at Thayer. The support posts for a picnic shelter had been seriously undermined by earlier flooding, so it was taken down. A sinkhole near the park entrance at Glen Jean was repaired. Trail assessments continue. There was more damage to Lower Beach Road at Sandstone Falls. Repairs on Cunard Road should begin today. High water on Wolf Creek will likely keep workers away from the bridge at Fayette Station for at least one more day. [Barbara Stewart, IO, IMT, NERI, 7/29]
On July 8th and 26th, heavy rains caused serious flooding throughout southern West Virginia, including New River Gorge. A Type 3 IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is currently managing recovery operations in the park. The following is an update on activities over the past two days: o The road to the lower beach of Sandstone Falls was reopened after the culverts were cleaned. Trail work on the Thurmond-Minden trail and Southside Junction trail is in progress. o The resource assessment team gave a presentation at the Canyon Rim VC to the incident management team and park staff. The PowerPoint presentation discussed the draft soil and watershed resource assessment. o New slides were reported on Fayette Station Road and on the road from the Babcock State Park's grist mill to the former town of Sewell. Orders Construction Company began clearing debris on Cunard Road. The contractor estimates that the project will be completed in approximately a week and a half. Thurmond Depot remains closed, as repairs to Route 25 continue. Trail assessments continue throughout the park. [Tammi Woodrum, IO, IMT, NERI, 7/30-31]
On the night of July 24th, officers and rangers in the TRIDENT task force - comprised of local, state and federal agencies, including the NPS - seized 279 grams of crack cocaine and 165 grams of powder cocaine found during the execution of a search warrant on the home of J.L., 30, of Glen Jean. An informant had made several drug buys from J.L. the previous week. During an attempted buy on the evening of the 24th, however, J.L. accused the informant of being "wired." The informant was able to leave the area without incident, but J.L. was then kept under constant surveillance until a search warrant could be obtained. J.L. was arrested at his girlfriend's house as the warrant was being executed. J.L. has long been suspected of being one of the major dealers in the park's 1998 Glen Jean crack cocaine sales case, in which seven people were convicted of sale and distribution of crack. J.L.'s drug activities have centered around the park's Glen Jean headquarters. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 7/25]
An interdisciplinary resource assessment team (RAT) led by Erv Gasser of Pacific West Region (Seattle) has completed an analysis of flood effects following the storms of July 8th, 26th, and 29th. The 15-member team used aerial and ground reconnaissance methodologies throughout park lands impacted by the floods: o The watershed group assessed and mapped the overall flood impacts to the watersheds. o The historical architect and cultural resource specialist inventoried flood impacts for potential damage to cultural sites and began a cultural resource damage assessment. o The vegetation specialists evaluated and assessed flood effects to vegetative resources, including rare, threatened and endangered species, noxious weed populations, and forest resources. They also identified values at risk associated with vegetative losses and began Section 7 consultations with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. o The GIS specialists gathered the data layers necessary for the plan, coordinated GPS activities, processed data calculations for other resource specialists, and produced maps for the emergency rehabilitation plan and for presentations. o Facilities and roads and trails specialists inventoried flood impacts to park facilities and park infrastructure affected by the floods. These specialists developed specifications for each treatment and implemented emergency rehabilitation treatments to restore park operations and to open facilities for safe visitor use. Slides and debris flows had a heavy impact on the park's infrastructure, especially roads and trails. Fourteen of the park's twenty-seven trails were impacted, eroding trail treads, washing out footbridges, and damaging trailhead parking. Access to the river was a major concern of the 30 commercial boating companies. While 10 of the 12 major access points were open to the public, the most popular ones - Cunard and Fayette Landing - were closed. Overall, the floods affected about 30 miles of the New River on public and private lands within the middle and lower gorge and the Gauley River. Flood impacts affected 15 major tributaries of the New River, 14 park trails, 16 park roads, two state roads within the park, three boat ramps, five launch/take-out sites, six parking areas, and six facilities. The entire flood area was mapped by the RAT team for impacts and treatments. Following is a summary of the different discipline findings: o Soil and Watershed: Fifteen major tributaries and many smaller ones received impacts from flooding, debris flows, and channel scouring. Damage included inundation and sedimentation of over bank areas. Debris flows caused extensive erosion, dispersed large quantities of extremely course debris, and complete restructuring of some stream channels. The most damaged channels occurred in the Laurel, Buffalo, Slater, Claremont, Dunloup, Arbuckle, Coal Run, and Wolf Creeks. o Water Quality: Many visitors to New River Gorge come to participate in water-based recreational activities. The activities frequently involve extensive contact with river waters. Post-flood water quality was assessed on the New and Gauley Rivers and their tributaries in the flood impacted area. Water samples taken after each flood event indicate that some conditions in the river exceed acceptable recreational use standards. o Aquatic Resources: Impacts of the three floods were assessed on biological populations, communities, and ecosystems. Results have shown that aquatic life was markedly absent from the most severely scoured tributaries. Aquatic life was reduced to levels well below that noted previously in the less severely scoured streams. Large alluvial fans, derived from materials eroded from these streams, were deposited in the New River. Since these fans were deposited in riffle areas, potential negative effects to habitat were minimal. o Vegetation Resources: New River Gorge has a diverse flora that provides a habitat for many rare species and unique plant communities. Some of the rare species include purple-three awn grass, false blue indigo, hairy tickseed, milk pea, McDowell's sunflower, and Loomis's mountain mint. While the flood was a natural event, vegetation/seeding will be used for slope stabilization and to stem the invasion of noxious weeds. o Cultural Resources: An assessment was conducted to determine the damage to historic structures, archaeological resources and museum collections. Damaged structures assessed included the Mankin-Cox building at Thurmond, Beury Mansion ruins, Quinnimont Coke Ovens, and the Craig Branch Rail Bridge. The Nuttallburg site also has the potential for slide- related effects. Floodwaters also damaged the Bank of Glen Jean, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Damage to archaeological resources appears to be greatest in the stream channels. Museum collections were exposed to the flood waters but not directly impacted. Storage of the park's collections will need to be reviewed. o Roads & Trails: Since most of the roads and trails in the inner Gorge either cross slopes or are located at the bottom of slopes many were impacted. As noted above, flood impacts affected 14 park trails, 16 park roads, two state roads within the park, three boat ramps, five launch/take-out sites, and six parking areas. Foot and vehicle bridges were washed out or made impassable. Roads and trails were washed out, water bars filled, trail tread damaged, and trees blocked many of the roads and trails. Over 40 culverts were either damaged or washed out. Boat ramps and launch sites were impacted by mud and debris flows, in some cases depositing as much as eight feet of material. The Thurmond Depot retaining wall, which supports the parking area and a structure, was undermined and has dropped approximately one foot. o Facilities: Six park facilities were impacted by the flood - the Bank of Glen Jean, headquarters building, maintenance facility, resource management offices and water lab, fire cache, and the Dent picnic area. Because of the decreased water quality of the areas inundated by floodwaters, ductwork, air conditioners, HQ crawl space, Bank of Glen Jean basement, baseboards, and carpeting will need to be disinfected to mitigate the growth of bacteria. In addition, park vehicles impacted by floodwaters will need to be cleaned and serviced. The process used to conduct the damage assessment and prepare this emergency rehabilitation plan in an efficient manner was modeled after the Department of the Interior's burned area emergency rehabilitation (BAER) Team for wildland fires. This incident marks the third time that this process, used for assessing wildland fire impacts, has been used for a non-fire incident. This kind of innovative approach to integrated resources damage assessment is what is needed when emergency incidents like the New River Gorge floods occur. The DOI-BAER teams have developed an efficient, comprehensive approach to assessing resource damage and providing emergency rehabilitation requirements for protecting human life, safety, property, and critical natural and cultural resources. [Erv Gasser, BAER Team, NERI, 8/6]
Rangers were involved in the rescues of the victims of two separate climbing accidents on August 25th. The first incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. S.H., 22, of Durham, North Carolina, fell approximately 35 feet from the Endless Wall in the Beauty Mountain area while conducting a lead climb. S.H. was making a 5.10a climb on "The Mushroom" in the Rams Head area at the time of the fall. He had six pieces of gear placed, the top three consisting of nuts/chocks. As he climbed above his protection, he apparently pulled the nuts out of the crack they were jammed in and fell to the ground, landing on his feet and back. His climbing partner, A.B., also of Durham, managed to keep S.H.'s head from hitting the ground. S.H. never lost consciousness and remained alert and oriented in the care of two other climbers who came to his aid while A.B. went to a nearby residence to call for help. A multi-agency rescue team consisting of rangers and volunteer fire department personnel conducted a 75-foot vertical raise and carryout to a waiting ambulance. He was then transferred to an air ambulance and flown to a major trauma center in Charleston. His chief complaints were neck and back pain. He is in stable condition. At 7 p.m. that same day, a 15-year-old girl from Fayetteville fell about 45 feet from a cliff in the Junkyard Wall area. She was beginning to descend the cliff on a wooden ladder when she slipped and fell (the ladder has been placed at that location by a private organization for climber access). The total height of the cliff is about 70 feet; the first ladder is about 25 feet from the top of the cliff, with a steep and slippery scree slope leading from the cliff top to the first ladder. She was above the first ladder when she slipped and fell, bouncing off a ledge and landing on the boulder-strewn ground below. A multi-agency rescue team consisting of rangers and volunteer fire department members conducted a 60-foot vertical raise. She was carried out to a waiting ambulance, transferred to an air ambulance, then flown to a major trauma center in Charleston. She is presently listed in serious/stable condition in the ICU at the hospital, having suffered a severely fractured skull in the fall that may require surgery to reduce the brain swelling. Other injuries included a possible fractured arm and neck injuries. [Rick Brown, ACR/Operations, NERI, 9/2]
H.D., 29, of Beckley, West Virginia, was boating the New River with two friends, Sheldon Linkous and James Givens, on the evening of August 30th. At Hook 99 rapids in a remote section of the gorge, H.D.'s Thrill-Seeker inflatable kayak came in contact with an undercut rock. The force of the water pulled H.D. and his boat under the rock. Linkous and Givens, who were paddling in another raft, saw H.D.'s boat being pulled under. They paddled to the rock, climbed on top and tried to free the boat; H.D. had gone under the rock and could not be seen. After trying to free the boat from the rock for about an hour, Linkous and Givens decided to paddle to Fayette Station take-out, where their car was parked. They then drove to Fayetteville, where they called 911 at approximately 9:30 p.m. The 911 center notified rangers, who immediately responded. River patrol ranger Brian Hunter hiked into the gorge and located the trapped boat. Due to the lack of daylight, recovery efforts were postponed until the following morning. At daylight, river patrol and protection rangers rafted downriver to the location, set up a Z-drag with ropes and pulleys, and removed the boat from the rock. When the boat was removed, H.D.'s body floated free from under the rock. Rangers retrieved the body and transported it down river to Fayette Station take-out, where it was turned over to the Fayette County coroner's office. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 9/3]
The Fayette County 911 center received a report that a woman had jumped off the New River Gorge Bridge around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 9th. Rangers, deputies and state troopers responded. The deputy sheriff who arrived first on the scene saw what appeared to be the body of the woman floating downriver and through the rapids below the bridge, but then lost sight of the victim. A search of the river corridor was accordingly begun. Protection and river patrol rangers worked with volunteer diving teams to search the river downstream from the bridge. A vehicle left on the bridge was found to belong to a local 74-year-old Fayetteville woman. Yesterday, an air scent search dog was brought in to assist with the search. The dog alerted several times at an area about 15 yards downstream from the point last seen. The dive teams concentrated their efforts in that area and soon discovered the woman's body in approximately 18 feet of water. Rangers transported the woman's body downriver by boat to Tayes Landing, where it was turned over to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 9/10]
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. Director Mainella is in New York today to meet and talk with employees and to visit sites affected by the attacks. The Service's Type 1 incident management team (Skip Brooks, IC) continues its operations from the South Interior Building. The following summarizes the current status of parks in the New York and Washington areas and any changes in the previously reported status of parks elsewhere: o New River NR (WV) - The World Rafting Championship, scheduled for September 22nd to the 25th, will proceed as planned. [SHEN EICC, 9/20]
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 incident management team (Skip Brooks, IC) continues its operations from the South Interior Building; a regional Type 2 team from Southeast Region (Bob Panko, IC) is overseeing the NPS expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. There have been no significant changes in the status of parks as previously reported. Normal operations, including planned special events, have resumed. The latter included several weekend events: o New River Gorge NR (WV) - The World Rafting Championship occurred over the weekend. There were 180 competitors; about 250 spectators watched from the shoreline. A regional special events team provided additional assistance. There were no incidents. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/23; NPS Type 1 IMT, WASO, 9/24]
The World Rafting Championship was held on the New and Gauley Rivers between September 22nd and 25th. Participants included 16 men's and women's teams representing a dozen countries. The event was the first international sporting event to be held in the country since the September 11th terrorist attacks. The National Park Service took the lead for all event security on both rivers. Northeast Region's special event team, led by Art North, assisted the park's Type 3 incident management team, which was headed by Duncan Hollar. The competition involved three days of racing on the two rivers. Time trials and a head-to-head sprint through Fayette Station rapid on the New River were held on the opening day. On the second day, competitors were required to negotiate through slalom gates hung over the same rapid. The championship culminated with a downriver race on the Gauley River. The normal water flow on the Gauley this time of year is 2,800 cubic feet per second; for this event, the Corp of Engineers released 4,000 cubic feet per second of water from the Summersville Dam. The river was extremely challenging, even for the world class rafters, with most teams flipping at least once along the course. The Brazilian team flipped and recovered three times in one set of rapids. Members of the Indonesian team flipped their raft so many times that they had to be led down the river by safety personnel in kayaks. NPS rangers Dave Finch (NERI), Chuck Noll (NERI), Dave Rapp (ASIS) and Rob Turan (OBRI) paddled the park's sweep/safety raft down the whitewater class V plus river. The rangers did an excellent job of chasing the competitors through the rapids, with only one rather spectacular flip and long swim at Pillow Rock rapid. River patrol ranger Brion Hunter kayaked the course and made numerous rescues throughout the downriver event. The German men's team and Czech Republic women's team won the championships. The park's incident management team and the special event team were invited to the final awards ceremony held at the Glade Springs Resort. West Virginia governor Bob Wise publicly thanked the National Park Service employees for making it a safe and outstanding event. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 9/26]
S.M., a 26-year-old South Carolina man, was killed in a gun battle with a West Virginia state trooper in the park on the evening of October 10th. The trooper had stopped the vehicle on Highway 41 near the community of Prince on the suspicion that the driver was operating under the influence. After making the stop, the trooper brought S.M. back to his cruiser, placed him in the back seat without searching or restraining him, then radioed dispatch for an NCIC check on the South Carolina registration. He was in the process of filling out a written warning for weaving on the roadway when the dispatcher came back over the radio with a "hit" for a stolen vehicle out of South Carolina. Hearing the dispatcher's report, S.M. bolted out of the back door of the vehicle. As he got out of the cruiser, he drew a .38 caliber revolver from a shoulder holster and fired at least one round at the trooper (two rounds were expended from this revolver), hitting the rear window and the door post. S.M. then ran up to his vehicle and demanded his other gun from his girl friend, a 14-year-old female runaway. She handed him a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun. S.M. then turned toward the cruiser and started firing at the driver's compartment where the trooper had been seated. Three rounds hit the cruiser windshield and in the area of the driver's seat. At least four other rounds hit the hood. By this time, however, the trooper had gotten out and taken a position at the right rear of his cruiser, using the vehicle for cover. A gun battle developed in the roadway, with both parties exchanging gunfire. S.M. then ran to his vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee, and sped away. The trooper continued to fire at the fleeing Jeep, hitting and shattering the rear window. Ranger Harry Perkowski was on patrol in the area less than a mile away at the time. He saw the cruiser's blue lights and proceeded that way to investigate, then heard the gunshots. Perkowski arrived on scene within one minute of the shots being fired. It appeared that the Jeep had stopped along the roadway about 200 yards up the road from the shooting site. After calling for assistance, Perkowski and the trooper proceeded on foot up the road toward the Jeep. Thinking that S.M. had exited from the vehicle and fled into the surrounding woods, they proceeded with caution. About 20 minutes after the shooting, they reached S.M.'s Jeep and found him in the drivers seat, dead. During the shootout, the trooper had fired at least six rounds into the rear of the vehicle; five of these had entered S.M.'s seat, with three hitting him in the back. The 14-year-old female was uninjured in the gunfire and had gotten out when it came to a stop. She went down the road to a residence and sought help. The residents brought her back to the scene. She was detained by the by the state police for questioning but has since been released to a youth shelter. Rangers are assisting the state police in the investigation. The follow-up investigation has revealed that S.M. had served in the military, that he had a background in Special Forces, and that he was also a member of the Aryan Nations and had experience with explosives. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 10/11]
A nine-year-old boy shot himself while on a legal muzzleloader hunting trip in the Quinnimont area of the park on the afternoon of Saturday, December 15th. The boy and his father were near the top of Backus Mountain at the time - a distance of about two-and-a-half miles from their vehicle. They were walking down the steep terrain when the boy, who was carrying his short- barreled, youth model .50 caliber muzzleloader, slipped and the rifle fell under his leg. The hammer of the gun was evidently in the half-cock/safe mode and discharged when it hit the ground. The bullet struck the boy in his left knee, destroying it, then passed through into his right calf. The bullet did massive damage to both legs and caused severe bleeding. The boy's father used surveying ribbon he had with him to make a constricting bandage on both legs, then carried his son to their vehicle and drove to a hospital in Beckley. The boy was stabilized and transported to a major trauma center in Charleston. He initially had no circulation in his lower legs, but it was restored after surgery. Although he has several operations and a long recovery period before him, doctors believe that we will fully recover and regain the use of both legs. The father's quick thinking in placing a constricting bandage around his son's legs saved his life. Rangers are working with the county sheriff's department and the state DNR on the investigation. [Rick Brown, ACR, NERI, 12/17]
A West Virginia highway courtesy patrol employee found a rental vehicle parked on the New River Gorge Bridge around 4:30 a.m. on February 11th. Personal items left in the vehicle and a set of vehicle keys found near the bridge railing indicated a possible suicide. Park rangers and Fayette County Sheriff's Office deputies were notified. A check of the vehicle rental records revealed that a 37-year-old man from Troy, Michigan, had rented the vehicle on February 8th in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Rangers, deputy sheriffs, and local rescue personnel searched the New River Gorge below the bridge, where they found a body that resembled the man's physical description. The body was retrieved and transferred to the state medical examiner for positive identification. An interview with a family member indicated that the victim had recently been terminated from his job with a trucking company and was believed to be en route back to Michigan. No suicide note was found; the investigation is continuing. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 2/11]
Over the past week, rangers received reports of several explosive devices being detonated in recreation areas adjacent to and within the park's boundaries. The first reports were of chemical bottle bombs and at least one pipe bomb at an Army Corps of Engineers parking area at Summersville Lake, an area adjacent to Gauley River NRA. The pipe bomb was used to blow up a trash receptacle. Metal fragments and debris were scattered as far as 200 feet from the blast site. The remnants of several chemical bottle bombs were also found in the same parking area. On Monday, February 11th, employees at Babcock State Park found that a pipe bomb had been placed in a newspaper vending machine next to their campground office and detonated. The blast destroyed the vending machine and a nearby pay phone and damaged a portion of the building. The state park is within the boundaries of New River Gorge NR. A joint investigation is being conducted by the state police, county sheriff's office, and ATF. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 2/13]
The park received notification of a vehicle that had evidently been abandoned on the southbound shoulder of the highway just south of the New River Gorge Bridge around 9:30 p.m. on the evening of Monday, February 11th. Footprints in the fresh snow showed that someone had walked from the vehicle out onto the bridge and up onto the railing. The area below the point where the footprints ended was searched by rangers, state and county officers and firefighters and led to the discovery of the body of a 19-year-old man. The body was recovered and turned over to the county ME for further investigation. [Gary Hartley, CR, NERI, 2/28]
On the evening of May 18th, three visitors hiking in the Glade Creek area of the park discovered a body approximately 25 yards off the Glade Creek trail in an area directly under the 720-foot-high Interstate 64 bridge. The hikers notified the West Virginia State Police of the discovery. Rangers and the park's special agent responded along with troopers and Raleigh County Sheriff's Department detectives. The body was found in a steep and rocky section of the Glade Creek Gorge. It was determined that the area was too hazardous to enter that night, so representatives from each agency met and hiked into the gorge the following morning to recover the body and conduct an investigation. The corpse, which consisted mainly of skeletal remains with some clothing, was taken to the state medical examiner in South Charleston for an autopsy. Two identification cards were found in the victim's pants which correlated with the identification of a person reported missing and suicidal on March 10th. A positive identification had not been made at the time of the report; efforts were being made to contact the missing person's family members, who have moved away from the area. The park is leading the investigation. [Chris Schrader, SA, NERI, 5/20]
Over the past few months, the park experienced a rash of car break-ins at the Fern Creek and Endless Wall parking areas. During the Memorial Day weekend, the protection division conducted a surveillance operation on three parking areas. On Monday, May 27th, ranger Sandy Shuck observed five people breaking into a car at the Endless Wall parking area. A description of their getaway van was radioed to ranger Greg Malcolm, who stopped the van and recovered stolen property with a value in excess of $800. C.M., M.J., W.C. Jr., E.B. and R.R. were arrested by NPS rangers on federal charges. All five had initial appearances in court the next day and were charged with theft under 18 USC 661.2, a class A misdemeanor. The federal magistrate judge set cash bonds for four of the five suspects ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. The fifth suspect was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond because she is six-and-a-half months pregnant. Recovered evidence indicates that the group may have been responsible for more that 15 additional theft cases totaling approximately $30,000 in property losses. Additional charges are pending on these and possibly other suspects. [Chris Schrader, CI, NERI, 5/30]
On August 3rd, roads and trails supervisor R.L.R. was killed in a tractor rollover accident on his farm. R.L.R. was a life-long resident of Fayetteville, West Virginia. He is survived by Patricia, his wife of 29 years, and two sons, C. and J. R.L.R. began his career at New River Gorge in April 1990 as a maintenance worker, then served successively as supervisory sewage treatment facility operator, buildings and utilities supervisor and, in 2001, roads and trails supervisor. He worked very closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection on designing sewage treatment facilities for New River Gorge and assisted the Corps with design of their restroom and treatment facilities at Summersville Dam near the Gauley River NRA. In 2000, R.L.R. received an award from the governor of West Virginia as the state's outstanding sewage facility operator of the year. He was involved with the West Virginia Citizens Conservation Corps, and spent much of his time at work helping out young WVCCC's with their trade work on projects in New River Gorge. At home, R.L.R. was involved in the Adopt-a-Highway program, helping neighbors clean litter from their community. Farming was R.L.R.s avocation, which he planned to do full time when he retired. He worked closely with state and federal agricultural services to make his farm a model operation of conservation and best agricultural practices. R.L.R. was a decorated Vietnam veteran, receiving the National and Vietnam Defense Service medals, the Republic of Vietnam with American Forces medal, and the Bronze Star and Bronze Star with Valor medals. He was also rated as an expert with the M-14 rifle. R.L.R. received a full military funeral at his family cemetery, with a 21-gun salute by a military honor guard. He is remembered as a caring supervisor with a great sense of humor; he had the highest respect of all those who worked with him, who considered him not only their supervisor and co-worker but their friend. Contributions to a memorial fund in R.L.R.'s name may be sent to: R.L.R. Memorial Fund, Bank One, Oak Hill, WV 25901. [Mindy Smith, NERI]
On Monday, July 29th, the Corps of Engineers and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources requested the assistance of rangers with an NPS rescue boat and a side-scan sonar unit to locate a drowning victim in Bluestone Lake, which adjoins Bluestone National Scenic River. The victim, N.N. of Alexandria, Virginia, drowned while swimming from a rented boat on July 28th. The drowning occurred in approximately 30 feet of water. Visibility for divers was almost zero due to turbulence in the water. Two rangers from New River Gorge NR - Sandy Shuck and Mike Foster - located N.N.'s body in 27 feet of water around noon on July 30th by utilizing the sonar unit. [Duncan Hollar, ACR, NERI]
On September 13, O.C., 48, of Hinton, West Virginia, was found guilty on one count of sales and distribution of OxyContin, a controlled substance. O.C. was arrested in a multi-agency drug enforcement operation that was begun in September, 2000. Rangers and the park's special agent participated in the year-long investigation, which focused on drug sales in both the park and surrounding communities. As a result of this investigation, 26 people were arrested for sale and distribution of OxyContin. Also involved in the operation were Hinton police and state troopers. O.C. was the ringleader of the distribution operation and lived within the park. The state court trial took three days, but the jury needed only ten minutes of deliberation to reach a verdict. O.C. was the last of the 26 tried in this case. All but one of the 26 have been found guilty. O.C. will be sentenced in late October to between one and 15 years in prison. [Submitted by Chris Schrader, Special Agent, New River Gorge NR]
After being canceled in 2001 as a result of the September 11 attack, the annual Bridge Day event resumed this year, with an improved security plan approved by the governor that included closing all bridge lanes to vehicle traffic. Security for this year's Bridge Day was managed under a unified command system, with the joint operations center hosted by the park at its Burnwood facility. Security was provide by a consortium of 16 agencies, including the West Virginia State Police, West Virginia National Guard, Fayette County Sheriff's Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Marshals Service, and the National Park Service. Traditional BASE jumping activities continued this year under a special uses permit issued by the park following receipt of a waiver from Director Mainella permitting the activity within the park. This year's BASE activities were organized by Go Fast Sports, Inc., and proved to be among the safest events held to date. A total of 394 BASE jumpers made 745 jumps from the New River Gorge Bridge, with landings in the park. Only two BASE jumpers sustained injuries requiring medical transport, one a sprained ankle and the other a laceration requiring stitches. Under the bridge, 308 rappellers made over 500 rappels. One rappeller lost control at the bottom of the 800 foot plus decent; as a result, he free fell approximately 50 feet and suffered a fractured lumbar and a ruptured bladder. He was flown to the Charleston Area Medical Center via a Health-Net medical helicopter that was on standby in the park. A highlight of the day was a visit by West Virginia's Governor Bob Wise. The governor started the day by cutting the ribbon for first BASE jumper of the day, 73-year-old Jim Guyer. He then participated in a short whitewater rafting trip on the New River in an NPS raft guided by park ranger Bryan Hunter. The governor made additional stops at the park's BASE landing zone and joint operations center. [Submitted by Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
Rangers were called out to assist county deputies in the
investigation of an abandoned vehicle on the New River Gorge bridge
around 3:30 a.m. on December 12. They found a computer notebook left on
in the vehicle with a suicide note displayed on the screen. Night vision
equipment from the park and thermal imaging equipment provided by a
local fire department were used to search the area below the bridge. The
latter detected a warm spot in a steep section of the gorge near the
river bank. At daybreak, rescuers were able to see the body of a man
around a tree that was submerged in the river near the bank and directly
above Flea Flicker Rapid. The river was running at 20,000 cfs and about
ten feet above normal levels at the time. Rangers and the Oak Hill
whitewater rescue team maneuvered a rescue boat to a point upstream from
the body and retrieved it before it went through the rapid. A driver's
license found on the man identified him as a 39-year-old resident of
Raleigh, North Carolina.
In August, 2002, rangers Chuck and Jenny Noll, responding to a report
of a loud party along the river, contacted K.M. alongside the
park's Royal Road. K.M. had about 9.5 grams of powder cocaine in his
possession. Further investigation revealed that K.M. also had several
boxes of ammunition and numerous gun cases and holsters in his vehicle.
A records check revealed that K.M. was a convicted felon and on parole
from Tennessee for a narcotics trafficking violation. No firearms were
found on K.M. or in his vehicle. On February 3, K.M. was convicted
and sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for being a felon in
possession of firearms ammunition. Assistant U.S. attorney Steve Lowe
aggressively pursued this violation of a federal statute which treats
possession of ammunition the same as possession of an actual firearm.
Following his federal time, K.M. will be extradited to Tennessee to
serve time on his parole violation. This was the first time in West
Virginia that a felon has been convicted of a federal firearm
violation based solely on the possession of ammunition. Special agent
Chris Schrader assisted with the prosecution.
This past January, the Trident drug task force began working a case
involving several people selling cocaine, controlled drugs and marijuana
in Minden, a small town within and adjacent to the park. Throughout
January and February, the task force employed undercover officers and
informants to make several drug buys in the area. Evidence obtained from
those buys indicated that B.G., a local resident, was one of
the main dealers and suppliers of cocaine. On February 26th, B.G. was
arrested without incident and a search warrant was obtained for his
residence. The park's drug dog, on contract from the Fayette County SO,
was brought in to assist with the search. The dog alerted several times,
leading officers to a half kilo of cocaine, 113 grams of marijuana,
large numbers of controlled drugs, almost $32,000 in cash, and a loaded
.38 caliber revolver. B.G. is a twice-convicted felon and has now
been charged federally for drug possession and distribution and for
being a felon in possession of a firearm. Also seized were B.G.'s
1993 pickup truck and two Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Chris Schrader,
the park's special agent, was instrumental in the investigation and in
the service of the warrants.
On the afternoon of March 3rd, the park received a report of a
possible suicide from the Blade Creek Bridge on I-64 within the park. A
state courtesy patrol found an abandoned vehicle on the bridge with its
engine still running and a wallet with identification left in plain
sight on the front seat. Rangers and state police searched below the
bridge and found the body of a 24-year-old man from Grand Bank,
Michigan. Due to restricted access caused by high water and hazardous
conditions from recent snowfalls, the decision was made to raise the
body 400 feet up the side of the gorge. A volunteer rescue team assisted
in the recovery operation. Investigators determined that the man was on
active duty with the Navy and had been assigned to a ship in Norfolk.
He'd been reported AWOL that morning. The state police are conducting
the follow-up investigation with assistance from the Navy.
An estimated 125,000 people attended the 24th annual New River Gorge
Bridge Day, held on Saturday, October 18th. The event was coordinated
under a unified command system that involved 13 agencies, including the
West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard, the
Fayette County Sheriff's Department, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service,
and the National Park Service. This year's BASE jumping activities were
organized by Jason Bell and Bill Bird of Vertical Visions, who did an
excellent job of organizing the jumpers and establishing safety
protocols. This year, the 346 registered BASE jumpers made 836 jumps
from the New River Gorge Bridge during the event - believed to be
the highest number ever recorded on Bridge Day. Jumping was suspended
several time during the day for trains passing the landing zone, water
rescues/pickups, and for one jumper who became stuck in a tree adjacent
to the landing zone. The park's maintenance division tree crew removed
the jumper from the tree with the aid of a bucket truck. Through most of
the day, there was a BASE jumper going off the bridge approximately
every 30 seconds. In addition, there were several multiple-person jumps,
including one nine-way jump. All multiple-person jumps were coordinated
with the NPS rangers and water rescue personal. There were only four
BASE jumper injuries that required medical transport, with all of the
injured being treated and released the same day. Under the bridge, 295
rappellers made 557 rappels off the catwalk and 107 people went down a
highline traverse to the Fayette Station Road below. Overall, it was a
very successful event.
Fayette County deputies and rangers were notified of a suspicious
vehicle on the New River Gorge Bridge around midnight on November 19th.
The officers found a car on the bridge with the keys in the ignition and
personal belongings, including a purse, left on the front seat. They
made a hasty search of the area, them employed a thermal imaging unit to
scan the gorge. A heat source was identified about 400 feet below the
bridge. On the following morning, personnel from the Fayetteville
High-Angle Rescue Team, the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department,
Fayette Count Sheriff's Office and the National Park Service located and
recovered the body of a woman below the bridge. Identification found in
the vehicle revealed that she was a 32-year-old graduate student from
West Virginia University in Morgantown. No suicide note was found, but
investigators did find a road map of West Virginia which had a route
highlighted from her hometown to the vicinity of the New River Gorge,
where it stopped. The body has been turned over to the county medical
examiner. Rangers are assisting the Fayette County Sheriff's Office with
the follow-up investigation.
On March 14th, rangers, local firefighters, and state forestry
department investigators responded to a wildland fire just inside the
park boundary adjacent to the community of Minden. The fire appeared to
be suspicious in nature to personnel on scene. Further investigation by
the field training ranger, the trainee ranger, West Virginia Department
of Forestry investigators, and a bloodhound handler revealed a complex
of 13 separate fire starts of varying size along a foot trail system.
Together, they totaled less than ten acres. Other evidence found on
scene pointed to arson. The community of Minden has been the scene of
approximately 20 structural arson fires since October, 2003. On March
29th, rangers, Fayette County sheriff's deputies, and Department of
Forestry investigators rounded up six Minden residents suspected of
being involved in or having knowledge of the incidents. During the
subsequent interrogations, one of them confessed to having been at the
scene of the wildland fires on public land, while two others, one a
juvenile, started them. He further confessed to having been involved in
setting two structural fires. The case is being handled jointly by the
park, the Department of Forestry, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office,
and the State Fire Marshal's Office.
Just past midnight on April 25th, J.W., 31, and several
friends were riding their ATV's in a loud and reckless manner around
Terry Beach, a section of the park with several in-holding residences.
Several of the residents came out of their homes and confronted them.
One of the residents, D.M., 54, confronted J.W.. An
altercation ensued which led to J.W. running over D.M. with his
ATV. J.W. then attempted to run over David D.M., 47, who drew a
.380 pistol and attempted to stop the ATV by shooting at its tires as
J.W. chased him around the yard. D.M. emptied one magazine,
reloaded, and continued firing at the ATV. He ultimately fired about a
dozen rounds. Witnesses said that another unidentified ATV rider
returned the gunfire, shooting at the D.M.'s from a nearby roadway.
Several 9mm shell casings were subsequently found at that location. One
of the rounds struck J.W. in his right hand, breaking two fingers.
Neighbors called 911 and rangers, a county deputy and EMS personnel were
dispatched to the area. The deputy, however, was dispatched to another
shooting just after arriving in Terry Beach, leaving the rangers to
handle the investigation. The injured parties were found, taken to the
hospital and treated. The investigation continues.
An apparent fall from an abandoned railroad bridge on Friday resulted
in the death of Matthew Hunley, 20, of Oak Hill, West Virginia. Around
1 a.m. on Saturday morning, Fayette County
911 received a report that Hunley was missing from a group of people who
were camping and fishing near the New River downstream from the Cunard
River access. A search was launched and Hunley's body was found in a
stream below the bridge and near the campsite. It appears that he fell
from the bridge. Assisting in the recovery and removal of the body were
members of the Fayette County Rope Rescue Team. An investigation is
being conducted by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and the park.
NPS SA Chris Schrader is the lead for the park.
A 15-year-old girl from Staunton, Virginia, was rafting the New River
Gorge with a commercial guide service on the afternoon of June 29th when
the raft she was in flipped in the middle of Keeney's Rapid. Raft guides
were able to get all the passengers back into the raft except for the
girl, who was swept downstream, pulled underwater, and pinned against a
large rock. Raft guides trained in swift water rescue took immediate
action, but the force of the water was too great to make a rapid
extrication possible. Additional rescuers soon arrived, including
Fayette County swift water rescue team members and a local ambulance
company. Due to the technical nature of this Class V rapid and the high
water level (about seven feet above normal at the Thurmond gauge), it
took rescuers about two hours to free the girl's body. This is the first
rafting fatality on the New River this year. The girl was traveling with
a licensed commercial outfitter and an experienced guide. She was
wearing a life jacket and helmet at the time the accident occurred. A
follow-up investigation is underway.
Two hikers reported a possible suicide victim near the Beauty Mountain overlook trail around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12th. Fayette County Sheriff's Department officers, a JanCare ambulance crew and rangers responded. They found the body of a Barboursville, West Virginia, man at a rock outcropping overlooking New River Gorge. He had evidently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; a .380 caliber handgun was found next to his body. The area was secured and searched, but no other evidence or clues were found. There was no suicide note, but investigators later learned that the man was the subject of a criminal investigation in Cabell County.[Submitted by Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
A jogger on Fayatte Station Road saw a person jump from the New River Gorge Bridge on the afternoon of October 20th and called 911. Responding Fayette County deputy sheriffs and West Virginia state troopers found an abandoned vehicle on the bridge; rangers found the body on the roadway beneath the bridge. The victim was identified as a 51-year-old man from Pittsburgh. A suicide note and an envelope addressed to his wife were found in the vehicle. A follow-up investigation by rangers and deputies is
underway.
During an illegal all-terrain vehicle enforcement operation in the Canyon District on January 15th, ranger Duane Michael was struck by an ATV after the operator refused to stop when ordered. A district task group working a problem ATV encroachment area attempted to stop a group of three illegal ATV riders on the Cunard-Kaymoor Trail at approximately 4 p.m. that afternoon. The first ATV, operated by J.M. of Cunard, West Virginia, attempted to accelerate past Michael, who had to place his hands on the operator to push himself out of the way. The ATV then fish-tailed into the ranger, striking him in the right leg and knocking him to the ground. Michael was only slightly injured by the impact. Once the following two ATV's were successfully stopped, the identity and address of the first operator was obtained. J.M. was arrested at his residence a short time later by Michael and other rangers from the district and his ATV was confiscated. A container of marijuana and what appeared to be several hawk talons were found during the inventory search of the ATV. Special agent Chris Schrader is assisting with the investigation and charges. The talons will be shipped to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service laboratory for analysis. J.M. will be charged with assault on a federal officer, possession of marijuana, travel off roadway and illegal operation of an all-terrain vehicle in a prohibited area; additional charges may be sought for possible Lacey Act violations, pending results of the laboratory analysis. [Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]
C.L.L., 21, of Lost Creek, West Virginia, slipped on rocks covered with moss in a small drainage near a cliff edge in the Beauty Mountain area on the afternoon of June 5th and fell 60 feet. C.L.L. was conscious when the first rescuer arrived on scene at approximately 2 p.m. A vertical litter raise was conducted and he was brought to the top of the cliff about 45 minutes later. C.L.L. was found to be in cardiac arrest when he reached the top.He was treated by paramedics and transported to Plateau Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Participating in the rescue were New River Gorge rangers, including field training ranger Kevin Colley, the Fayette County Vertical Rescue Team, and General Ambulance. [Submitted by Chris Schrader, Special Agent]
On the night of August 4th, rangers were called to the Grandview Sandbar campground on a report of a violent incident during a group cookout at a campsite. A young woman had reportedly smashed out the windows of another woman's car with a baseball bat, then physically assaulted the woman with her hands and fists. During the melee, the victim's wallet containing $450 cash had been stolen from the car's glove box. She sustained facial injuries during the assault. Upon arrival, the responding rangers found that both women and some witnesses had fled the campground prior to their arrival. An investigation was conducted by rangers and Beckley PD officers in an effort to identify the principals and witnesses. On August 7th, rangers and officers attempted to contact the assailant and others at a city residence after learning that a variety of warrants in several jurisdictions were active for several of them. On August 31st, a 19-year-old woman turned herself in to rangers and volunteered to be interrogated. During the interrogation, she cooperated with investigators and provided a written statement confessing to the incident. The US Attorney's Office has been notified and criminal charges are pending. Ranger Frank Sellers is the lead investigator. [Chief Ranger's Office]
An apparent sexual assault occurred at the Fayette Station public use area of New River Gorge just before midnight on September 6th. The victim was a 27-year-old woman from out of state who is living in the local area while working as a legal intern. The original call came from the victim's cell phone to a friend, who notified the Fayette County 911 system. The victim's calls were frantic and jumbled, leading responding sheriff's deputies, Oak Hill police and NPS rangers to initially believe that she was in the river on a rock somewhere in the Gorge. Responders began a search of all public use areas within a 30 mile stretch of river. At 1:30 a.m., a resident of a community far from the search area called 911 to say that the woman had driven to his residence and was waiting for law enforcement officers. The resident is familiar on a professional level with rangers at New River and specifically requested that special agent Chris Schrader come to his residence. Schrader arrived around 3 a.m. and began his investigation with assistance from a Fayette County deputy and personnel from Jan-Care Ambulance Service. The investigation at this point indicates a sexual assault did occur, with the assailant described in vague terms as a white male, unshaven, and of medium height and weight. The crime scene and the woman's vehicle were searched for evidence that night. Schrader will continue as the lead investigator, assisted by Fayette County and a New River ranger assigned to the case. Additional interviews are planned with the victim after she has had the opportunity and time to feel comfortable in continuing. [Duncan Hollar, Assistant Chief Ranger]
Around 10 p.m. on November 23rd, rangers were notified by a local 911 center that a 50-year-old hunter was missing and had last been seen in the Mann's Creek area of the park. He'd gone out hunting and was reported missing when he failed to return home after dark. Park personnel, members of volunteer fire departments, dog teams and sheriff's officers searched the area until morning. The man was found at 9 a.m. at the top of the Mann's Creek drainage. He was wet and cold but otherwise unharmed. He reported that he had been dragging out a six-point buck but abandoned it when it started to get dark. He then continued down the rugged drainage until he became concerned for his safety. Without a flashlight or means to make a fire, he sat huddled under a rock ledge until daylight. [Chief Ranger's Office]
On December 2nd, a 43-year-old local man was found guilty in Raleigh County Circuit Court of 74 counts of using a minor in filming or photographing sexually explicit conduct, 74 counts of being a custodian in possession of material depicting a child in sexually explicit conduct, 7 counts of third-degree sexual assault, and 3 counts of sexual abuse by a custodian. The man, a former massage therapist, was found with a digital camera containing explicit and obscene photographs taken of a 13-year-old girl during the execution of a search warrant at his residence for stolen property and illegal firearms. Further investigation into the matter revealed that a number of the pornographic images were taken at different locations within the park during the spring of 2004. He could be sentenced to as many as 341 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February. The initial report and case was investigated by the West Virginia State Police. NPS rangers and special agent are working with the US Attorney's Office and state police on the follow-up investigation. [Chief Rangers Office]
The park receive a report of a missing swimmer in the McKendree area around 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 1st. A ranger responded along with state police and a local EMS provider. They found a group of intoxicated people searching for a missing swimmer. According to several members of the group, three of the men attempted to swim across the river to a large rock. Two of the swimmers made it to the rock and climbed up on it, then shouted back to the third swimmer, asking if he was O.K. The swimmer, a 24-year-old man from Sophia, West Virginia, said he was okay, but called out for help after swimming a few more strokes. He then slipped under the water and did not surface. Several members of the group searched the area for about an hour before attempting to flag down a CSX train passing through the New River Gorge. When the train failed to stop, one of the parties drove to the town of Prince and called 911. Members of the Danese Volunteer Fire Department assisted with a hasty search of the area. Although they didn't find the missing swimmer, the did find a member of the group who was passed out in the river along the shore with only a portion of his head and mouth above the water. He was retrieved from the river, treated for hypothermia and a twisted ankle, then taken to the hospital. Once the other members of the party were all accounted for, search efforts were suspended until daylight. The search continued for the next two days, employing several park boats with sonar units, dive teams, and a state police helicopter. On the morning of Sunday, June 5th, rangers and volunteers from Danese VFD started the day by conducting a visual search of the area immediately downstream of the point last seen. Approximately 150 yards from that point, they spotted the man's body floating in an eddy. The body was retrieved and turned over to the state medical examiner for further investigation in cooperation with the NPS and state police. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
The park received a call for help on June 14th from a commercial rafting company running trips on the Gauley River. According to reports, the raft trip was running Iron Ring rapid on the upper Gauley River when one of the passengers, N.W., 67, of St. Michael's, Maryland, lost his balance and fell out of the raft and into the Class V rapid. N.W. remained at the surface for a second and then disappeared into the turbulent water just above an undercut rock with a crack referred to as Woodstock Rock. Guides who had positioned themselves as safeties below the rapid rushed to the point last seen and immediately threw weighted ropes into the rapids above the rock. The guide for N.W.'s raft ran upstream, jumped into the rapid, and positioned herself in the water to be flushed through an area called the Flume of Doom, where she searched for N.W. Another guide secured a line to his rescue vest and with the aid of others lowered himself into the rapid above Woodstock Rock. On the second lowering, the guide felt what he believed to be a life jacket at the base of the rock. Several attempts were made to free the item with paddles, poles and weighted drag ropes, but without success. One of the guides was able to climb to higher ground, where a radio call for assistance was made. Upon receiving the call, NPS rangers and two volunteer rescue squads responded to the scene. The Army Corps of Engineers was notified and the Summersville Dam, upstream of the rapid, reduced it's discharge to minimum flow. Once on scene, rangers determined that rescue efforts would be suspended until the river flow was reduced. Upon nightfall, all personnel were called off the river. Recovery efforts began the following morning. River rangers were assisted by five experienced guides from the rafting company and members of the Anstead and Nuttall volunteer fire departments. After approximately five hours of working with grappling hooks, ropes, pulleys and a complex rigging system, N.W.'s body was freed from under Woodstock Rock. Evidence indicated that his hand became entrapped in the rocks, causing him to be held underwater. The body was transported by Jan-Care ambulance to the West Virginia medical examiner. The follow-up investigation is being conducted by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, which by legislation has jurisdiction over commercial rafting in the park. Ranger Peggy Brown served as IC throughout the incident. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, August 19th, rangers were notified that a fisherman on the New River at the Grandview Sandbar camping area had seen a body in the river. Rangers and a special agent assigned to the park responded along with local police and EMS. The victim, a 32-year-old man from the Beckley area who was employed at a local jail as a corrections officer, was found lodged against a rock about a quarter mile downstream from the campground. Rangers recovered the body, which was transported upriver by a Beaver FD rescue boat to a Jan-Care ambulance. All indications are that the man drowned, but results of the autopsy are still pending. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on September 10th, ranger Randy Fisher responded to numerous 911 calls of a man apparently intending to jump from the New River Gorge Bridge. Fisher arrived on scene within minutes along with responding Fayetteville City police officers. They found a 23-year-old man from Fayetteville in the middle of the bridge. Fisher and one of the officers began negotiating with him, but they were unable to get closer than 20 feet from the man without him attempting to mount the low guardrail at the edge of the bridge. State troopers shut down both northbound lanes of U.S. 19 crossing the bridge to make it possible for negotiations to continue unhindered by passing high speed traffic. After some time, Fisher was able to talk the man into making a phone call to talk with someone about his situation. Fisher approached to within 10 feet of the man, then placed his cell phone on the pavement and backed away. When the man went to pick up the phone, Fisher and the officer, by prearrangement, charged and tackled the man before he could return to the guardrail. He was charged with disorderly conduct, held in jail overnight on a suicide watch, and taken before a U.S. magistrate the next morning. He was remanded to jail pending a hearing to determine a course of action that would provide him with mental health assistance. Investigators learned that the man had argued with his girlfriend, flung himself from her vehicle while it was traveling down U.S. 19 at about 40 mph, then walked to the bridge to commit suicide. Calm negotiation and decisive action by Fisher and the Fayetteville City officer saved the man's life. The New River Gorge Bridge, 876 feet above the New River, has been the scene of many suicides over the years. [Duncan Hollar, Assistant Chief Ranger]
B.L.S., 66, of Alta Loma, California, died on the morning of October 22nd when his parachute opened too late and he hit the river during the park's annual Bridge Day event. B.L.S. was described as an experienced jumper with numerous prior jumps. In 1966, he and a friend became the first people to jump from El Capitan, a nearly 3,000-foot-tall rock formation in Yosemite National Park. This was the first BASE jumping death at Bridge Day since 1987 and the third since the event started in 1980. Jumping from the bridge was temporarily suspended while B.L.S.'s body was recovered by rescue boats and taken by ambulance to a local funeral home. B.L.S., a retired Pomona, California, police lieutenant and graduate of the FBI Academy, was one of 388 jumpers from 13 countries who paid the $75 application fee to jump from the nation's second-highest span. His equipment was collected and will be inspected as part of a joint investigation by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and National Park Service. More than 800 jumps were made from the bridge on Saturday, and several other jumpers were injured. Rangers estimate that there were 56 water landings and 148 shore assists; all other jumpers came down in the landing zone and required no assistance. Once a year, the park allows people to parachute off the world's second-longest single-span bridge to the river below. [Fayetteville Register-Herald, via Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
While conducting a patrol just before daybreak on January 15th, ranger Randy Fisher saw several parachutes open just below the New River Gorge Bridge. Fisher contacted and attempted to detain the five jumpers at their landing site, but four of the five took off running while Fisher was waiting for backup. One of them — P.L., 48, of Urbana, Illinois — was apprehended by Fisher as he ran along the CSX railroad tracks, and another was found later in the morning attempting to hitchhike out of the gorge on Fayette Station Road. By day's end, three people had been arrested and booked into jail — P.L., D.D., 30, and C.B.A., 23. C.B.A. and D.D. are also from Urbana. That evening, a fourth parachutist — V.S., 47, of Romulus, Michigan — surrendered to Fisher at the Burnwood ranger station and said that he and his wife — E.S., 23 — would appear before a federal magistrate on January 16th. Prior to their initial appearances, all five agreed to have their cases heard before the federal magistrate and agreed to plead 'no contest' to the charges:
Fisher was assisted by other rangers and an NPS special agent, by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, and by Oak Hill City Police Department. Media interest was high. [Submitted by Duncan Hollar, Assistant Chief Ranger]
During the early morning hours of Saturday, February 10th, a Fayetteville City police officer discovered an abandoned vehicle on the New River Gorge Bridge and stopped to investigate. The officer spotted what appeared to be a body on the right bank of the river about 800 feet below. Rangers Sandy Shuck, Randy Fisher and Greg Malcolm responded along with state police, county officers, and fire, rescue and EMS units. The body was recovered and identified as that of a 22-year-old Fayetteville man. An investigation is underway, but all indications are that the death was a suicide. [Duncan Hollar, Assistant Chief Ranger]
Rangers received a call from a local 911 center on the evening of July 14th, reporting that a person had been seen jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge. They were met by county and local police and EMS personnel at the scene, where they found an unattended vehicle with a suicide note inside. They were also contacted by an eyewitness to the event. A search was conducted under the 876-foot-high bridge and the body of a 36-year-old West Virginia man was found in a small creek that feeds the New River. Other rangers joined in the investigation and recovery. Due to the steep and rugged terrain, the body was carried downstream to the river, where it was taken by boat to Tayes Landing and transferred to an ambulance for transport to the medical examiner. A follow-up investigation will be conducted with the sheriff's office and with help from the park's field training staff. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
On August 8th, a park employee provided rangers with some vehicle registration and insurance paperwork found along the roadside near Thurmond. Contact with the person named on the papers revealed that the car had been stolen from his driveway in Charleston the previous day. Officers and detectives with Charleston PD advised the park that they believed that the vehicle had been employed in a theft from an ATM after it was stolen. A "be on the lookout" message was distributed among rangers on August 10th, advising that the vehicle was possibly in or around the park. On August 12th, rangers responded to report that a car had been set afire and sent over a cliff in the park next to the New River. Emergency responders found a vehicle on its top, fully engulfed in flames, that matched the description of the stolen vehicle. The following day, rangers found the VIN plate among the remains and confirmed it as the one stolen from Charleston. Some investigative questioning was conducted in the nearby community of Thayer. Crimestoppers, the local clearing house for anonymous criminal tips, has been consulted for leads. A follow up investigation is being conducted by park rangers and local authorities. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Randy Fisher saw a parachute opening under the New River Gorge Bridge while on patrol on August 13th. He then saw a woman running toward what appeared to be a getaway vehicle at the park's river access below the bridge. He ordered her to stop, but she refused to comply. As she fled, she discarded a handheld radio. Fisher pursued and apprehended her, then attempted to catch the BASE jumper. He disappeared into the woods, though, which led to a four-hour-long interagency search. The man was finally caught and both were held at the Southern Regional Jail until they could appear before a federal magistrate on the following morning. The man, identified as Donald Heckel, pled guilty to violation of the regulation prohibiting parachuting in the park; the woman, identified as Rachel Streusand, pled guilty to aiding and abetting. Fisher was assisted by rangers Charles Mitchem and Sandy Shuck, a ranger trainee, and Fayette County and Fayetteville officers. [Submitted by Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
The Fayette County 911 center was notified of an abandoned vehicle parked on the New River Gorge Bridge around 1 a.m. on Saturday, August 25th. Rangers and deputies searched the area using night vision and thermal imaging devices, but were unable to find the driver. Around 7 a.m., rangers spotted the victim on the rocks along the bank of the New River, 876 feet below the bridge. Evidence found at the scene and in the vehicle identified him as a 41-year-old man from Hyannis, Massachusetts. The crime scene was secured and managed by ranger trainee Liz Hamilton, with assistance from field training ranger C.W. Mitchem. The body was recovered and taken to the state medical examiner's office. The victim was known by several of the rangers and by other local officers as a homeless man who'd been living in and moving between several local campgrounds in different jurisdictions over the past year. The sheriff's office is leading the investigation. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
On August 16th, rangers received a visitor complaint describing two individuals "reeking of marijuana" at the main overlook area at Grandview. Ranger Jamie Potratz and law enforcement specialist Chuck Noll investigated. Two people matching the physical description given by the complainant were soon contacted. Potratz and Noll found 19 grams of cocaine, two grams of crack cocaine, 11 grams of marijuana and an assortment of prescription narcotics in their vehicle, as well as a digital scale, packaging materials, and drug paraphernalia. They were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Both are on supervised release pending trial. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
M.H., 24, of Hinton, West Virginia, fell to his death from under the I-64 bridge above the New River at Sandstone on September 29th. According to witnesses, M.H. climbed up under the bridge and went out on the steel catwalk to look at the New River. While out on the catwalk, M.H. turned to his friend and said "Hey, watch this." He then climbed over the catwalk railing and attempted to jump down to a concrete pillar that supports the bridge. According to the friend, M.H. hit the edge of the pillar, then fell approximately 80 feet into the New River and disappeared. A local fisherman boating down the river heard the voices and saw what looked like a person falling from under the bridge. He immediately called 911. Rangers responded along with volunteers from the Hinton, Green, Sulfur, and Beaver fire departments. Divers working in conjunction with boat teams found M.H.'s body submerged in about 12 feet of water near the end of the bridge pillar. The body was recovered and turned over to the Summers County coroner. Based on witness statements and M.H.'s friend's report, alcohol was probably a contributing factor. Rangers are conducting the follow-up investigation. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
On Monday, November 12th, rangers and Fayette County Emergency Services personnel rescued a climber who'd fallen at the Endless Wall climbing area. Rangers Randy Fisher and Karl Keach, working with only a general description of the location of the accident received through a 911 call, searched for and found the caller, who led them to the scene. Keach coordinated the rescue from the top of the cliff while Fisher employed a series of ladders and ropes to reach the injured climber, who'd suffered numerous fractures and lacerations. An 80-foot litter raise was conducted to bring him to the top of the cliff. He was then wheeled out on a litter and flown to the Charleston area trauma center. An investigation revealed that he'd removed his gear from the second bolt and was attempting to down climb when he fell about 20 feet on the 5.9-rated "Nasty Groove" climbing route. This was the fourth time a climber has fallen this year — a significant increase in climbing-related incidents. The causes included bad belays, traditional gear pulling from the rock, and poor climbing decisions. New River Gorge is a world-class climbing destination, with 1600 traditional and sport routes. It has miles of high-quality sandstone cliffs with an extraordinary diversity of climbing routes. [Submitted by Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
On the morning of Tuesday, January 22nd, an off-duty West Virginia Division of Natural Resources officer driving south across the 876-foot-high New River Gorge Bridge came upon a vehicle pulled over against the guardrail on the northbound side of the bridge. As he approached it, he saw a man quickly get out, walk around to the front of the vehicle, step onto the front tire and up onto the rail, then jump without a moment's hesitation. The officer called 911 and rangers and county deputies responded. The man's body was found on the bank of the New River. Evidence at the scene and in the vehicle revealed that he was a 35-year-old man from South Charleston, West Virginia. FTEP ranger Kathy Spengler (from Katmai NP) is assisting the Fayette County Sheriff's Office with the follow-up investigation. [Submitted by Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
On the morning of Tuesday, January 22nd, an off-duty West Virginia Division of Natural Resources officer driving south across the 876-foot-high New River Gorge Bridge came upon a vehicle pulled over against the guardrail on the northbound side of the bridge. As he approached it, he saw a man quickly get out, walk around to the front of the vehicle, step onto the front tire and up onto the rail, then jump without a moment's hesitation. The officer called 911 and rangers and county deputies responded. The man's body was found on the bank of the New River. Evidence at the scene and in the vehicle revealed that he was a 35-year-old man from South Charleston, West Virginia. FTEP ranger Kathy Spengler (from Katmai NP) is assisting the Fayette County Sheriff's Office with the follow-up investigation. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
A 70-year-old man from Edmond, Oklahoma, died while participating in a whitewater rafting trip on the New River this week. Witnesses reported that he fell out of a commercially guided raft in a rapid known as Middle Keeney and was swept downstream through the lower Keeney and Dudley's Dip rapids. River guides on the trip retrieved him from the water and found that he was not conscious. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and a radio call for help was made. NPS rangers and rescuers from the Ansted and Nuttall Fire Departments responded. The body of the rafter was removed from the river and transported by General Ambulance Service to the medical examiner. The accident and exact cause of death are being investigated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the National Park Service. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
During the first week of May in 2005, seven people tore down, removed and sold chestnut lumber from the Joe Thompson House, a park-owned, 106-year-old, two-story mine company house located in a fairly remote section of the park. The park's historic architect estimated that they'd caused an estimated $882,650 worth of damage to the house. During a year-long investigation into the crime by ranger CW Mitchem and special agent Chris Schrader, all of the suspects were identified. A decision was made in conjunction with the United States Attorney's Office to pursue charges on only the leader of the group, K.R.P., 42, of Rainelle, West Virginia. K.R.P. had an extensive criminal history for similar crimes. On April 25, 2006, K.R.P.'s was indicted on one count of theft of U.S. government property {USC 18 641) and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Attempts to arrest him proved futile, as he was on the run from West Virginia state warrants. In October, 2006, a tip was received that led investigators to K.R.P., who was living in Altoona, Pennsylvania. On October 16, 2006, K.R.P. was arrested by a team of rangers from New River Gorge and Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS and United States marshals. K.R.P. was retuned to West Virginia. In May of 2007, K.R.P. pled guilty to the one count of theft and was subsequently sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison and ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
J.H., 23, a West Virginia resident, jumped to his death from the New River Gorge Bridge on the morning of Saturday, May 31st. A passing motorist reported someone walking on the bridge to the local 911 center. A Fayetteville, West Virginia, police officer responding to the call witnessed J.H.'s jump from the bridge. Shortly after 8 a.m., a search and recovery team comprised of rangers and personnel from the local county sheriff's department, city police and fire departments, and EMS organizations began a search for him. The body was found deep within the gorge near CSX railroad tracks on Saturday afternoon. A follow-up investigation was conducted by Fayette County Sheriff's Department. [Leah Perkowski, Education Technician]
On July 19th, rangers received numerous complaints of disorderly conduct in the park's Army Camp campground. The nature of the complaints ranged from nudity and cursing to the brandishing and firing of a small caliber handgun. Rangers contacted S.B. of Pasco County, Florida, and learned from him that he was a registered violent sex offender (felony conviction) and was in possession of a stun gun. Permission was given for the rangers to retrieve the stun gun from S.B.'s vehicle and also to search the rest of his camp for additional weapons. Rangers recovered several edged weapons along with a North American Arms five-shot, .22 magnum "mini revolver." Investigation revealed that S.B. has been in West Virginia since May of this year without registering as a sex offender, and that he was a frequent visitor to campgrounds, parks, and other recreation areas where children were present. S.B. is currently in jail awaiting trial for being a felon in possession of a firearm and numerous misdemeanor charges. Investigating rangers are working with the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorneys Office on the possible inclusion federal sex offender charges under "Adams Law" (the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006). [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
On Friday, August 29th, park staff received a report of a possible drowning at the Teays landing river takeout. Two NPS river patrol boats were on the river at the time and immediately headed to the landing, where they found a group of visitors frantically searching along the river for one of their friends. Witnesses at the scene said that A.G., 21, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, was attempting to swim to a large rock about 30 feet from shore when he was pulled downstream by the current. His friends attempted to save him, but A.G. slipped beneath the surface and was not seen again. The Fayette County swiftwater rescue team and several local volunteer fire departments responded along with the NPS rangers. A multi-agency river search was conducted until nightfall. The search for the missing swimmer continued throughout the holiday weekend over a five-mile stretch of the river. On Saturday and Sunday, members of the West Virginia K-9 search and rescue team worked with park rangers to establish areas of high probability that were searched by divers from the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department dive team. Early on Monday morning, a fisherman passing through the area saw what appeared to be a body in the water and reported it to park rangers who were conducting boat patrol sweeps of the high probability area. A.G.'s body was found in the water approximately two miles downstream from the point last seen. The body was taken to the Hawks Nest Lake river takeout/boat ramp and turned over to the Fayette County medical examiner. The follow-up investigation is being conducted by park rangers. District ranger Frank Sellers served as IC for the incident. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
A Fayette County deputy discovered a car parked on the New River Gorge Bridge's southbound shoulder just after 4 a.m. on September 9th. A suicide note and two sealed, stamped letters addressed to the operator's parents and fiancé were found inside the car along with a Mapquest map from his home to the bridge. Rangers were summoned and a search was begun along the banks of the New River. The body of the 25-year-old Ohio man was found among the boulders between the CSX railroad tracks and the river around 8 a.m. A joint investigation is being conducted by the county and the park. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
The 29th annual Bridge Day Festival was held on the New River Gorge Bridge on Saturday, October 18th. The event was coordinated under a unified command system that involved 13 agencies, including the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard, the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the National Park Service. Emergency medical services at the landing zone were coordinated through the state office of emergency management and attended to by JanCare Ambulance Service and area physicians. The Fayette County Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated the attendance at this, West Virginia's largest one-day festival, more than 155,000 people. In all, 383 BASE jumpers completed 1,062 successful jumps in seven hours, with only three EMS transports due to injuries, which included hypothermia from a water landing and subsequent trip through class IV whitewater, a fractured foot, and a femur fracture caused by a rigid knee brace and a very hard landing. In addition to BASE jumping activities, rappellers completed 895 rappels from the bridge catwalk and 74 ascents, including one by superintendent Don Striker, who made his very first rappel from the bridge. Another 168 people completed a high line traverse from the bridge to Fayette Station road below. This year, Bridge Day organizers also hosted a motorcycle safety awareness ride across the bridge. At noon, about 85 motorcyclists, including West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III, rode across the bridge, stopping long enough for the governor to announce an executive order allowing for an additional hour of jumping to occur (from the scheduled end at 3 p.m. until 4 p.m.). No significant law enforcement incidents occurred during the event. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
Early on the afternoon of November 1st, rangers received a report that a climber had been injured in a fall on the popular rock-climbing cliffs at Central Endless Wall. Rangers, EMS personnel, and members of the Fayette County vertical rescue team responded and found the victim - N.S., 21, of Powhatan, Virginia - within an hour. N.S. was found to be suffering from an apparent compound broken leg. He had been lead climbing the 5.12 c/d rated and bolted sport route known as "Pud's Pretty Dress" in the Kaymoor Slab area of the Central Endless Wall when he fell from a rock when about 60 feet up. N.S.'s climbing rope caught him, but he swung out from the overhanging rock face and struck a tree with his leg, breaking it. His belayer and climbing partners made a 911 call, then attended to his injuries until rescuers arrived. A technical hauling system was constructed and N.S. was raised by litter to the cliff top. He was then flown to a hospital in Charleston. [Frank Sellers, Park Ranger]
On Saturday, August 3rd, M.J., 29, of Jumping Branch, West Virginia, drowned in the Bluestone River. According to witness R.H., also of Jumping Branch, the two men were floating down the river fishing - R.H. in a raft and M.J. in an inner tube. The two became separated late in the afternoon, with R.H. proceeding further down the river. When R.H. reached the takeout at Lilly, he looked back up stream for his friend and saw what appeared to be M.J.'s inner tube floating upside down in the river. R.H. ran up the river bank, calling and looking for his friend, but was unable to find him. R.H. returned to his vehicle, parked at Lilly, and called 911 to report that his friend was missing. Rangers responded along with personnel from a number of state and local agencies. A search of the river was conducted until dark with no success. On Sunday, an organized search of the river was conducted near the point last scene. Forty-seven searchers from 14 different agencies and organizations participated in the search effort, which was organized under ICS. Ranger CW Mitchem served as the IC for the incident. Rangers employed boats equipped with sonar to establish priority areas for the search, and local volunteer dive teams set up grid searches of the river bottom. Divers found and recovered his body in one of the high priority areas just before 2 p.m. M.J. was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
Rangers learned of a possible drowning near McCreery on the afternoon of August 15th. They began a search of the area where the swimmer was last seen with the assistance of a group of rafters from Kentucky. One of the latter found the body of J.P., 33, about 15 yards from shore. Witnesses said that he'd been swimming in the river when he called out for help, then disappeared beneath the surface. Friends and family members had attempted to find him, but without success. J.P. was not wearing a lifejacket. This was the fourth fatality and third drowning within the New and Bluestone Rivers over the past four weeks. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
A Fayette County deputy came upon an abandoned vehicle on the New River Gorge Bridge just before midnight on Wednesday, August 19th. The area was searched, but neither the driver nor anyone else associated with the vehicle could be found. A registration check showed that it was registered to a 28-year-old Ohio resident. The area below the bridge was searched by ground crews with no success. The vehicle was towed and the investigation was turned over to NPS rangers for follow-up. On Thursday, rangers conducting the follow-up investigation worked with NPS staff from Cuyahoga Valley NP to locate the current address and family of the vehicle's owner in Ohio. Rangers were able to locate the man's mother and inform her of the abandoned vehicle. The mother told the rangers that her son was mentally unstable and had been in trouble, then went to her son's apartment, where she found a suicide note. The note was faxed to the rangers. Another search of the area around the bridge was conducted with no success, possibly because he'd landed in the New River. Whitewater river outfitters were notified of the missing person and river patrols were conducted. On the evening of August 21st, rangers conducting an evening kayak patrol of the New River found his body approximately a quarter mile downstream from the bridge. It was recovered and turned over to the West Virginia State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. The assistance from Cuyahoga NP staff with the investigation greatly added to the efficiency of the search and recovery. District ranger Frank Sellers served as IC for the incident and park ranger Stan Wilson lead the investigation. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]
A.W.C. and A.K., both 33 and from Port Republic, Maryland, have each been sentenced in federal court to 14 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release for conspiring to commit credit card fraud. In addition to their prison terms, A.W.C. and A.K. were also ordered to pay over $8,800 in restitution to the victims whose credit cards were stolen. In May, 2003, A.W.C., A.K. and C."D."C. went on a crime spree that started in Maryland and ended in West Virginia, with more than a dozen credit cards being stolen and approximately $10,000 in loss to the victims and their credit card companies. Throughout that month and on several other occasions, A.W.C., A.K. and their co-conspirator drove from Maryland to areas within and around the New River Gorge National River. There they targeted cars parked at trailheads in Raleigh, Fayette and Nicholas Counties. Anthony Wayne broke into the cars while A.K. and C.C. stood guard. The conspirators used a slim jim to gain access to the cars, which allowed them to break in undetected. Once inside the cars, they stole credit cards which they later used at local stores to purchase merchandise, including $500 gift cards (redeemable for merchandise with cash returned for change), portable DVD players and laptop computers. The trio also used the credit cards to purchase gas and other items along their way back to Maryland. New River Gorge rangers conducted an investigation that led them on a quest for evidence spanning seven West Virginia counties and three states. Surveillance videos from several retail stores allowed rangers to produce a flyer, alerting surrounding agencies of the crimes and helping to identify the suspects. On the third week of the operation, a ranger with the Army Corps of Engineers spotted three individuals he recognized from the flyer and alerted NPS rangers. C.C. was detained while Anthony Wayne and A.K. fled back to Maryland, leaving their vehicle behind. A search warrant executed on their vehicle revealed several credit cards in a hidden compartment. These cards proved to have been stolen earlier in the day from vehicles on NPS property and became the cornerstone in the prosecution's case. Assistant United States Attorney Karen B. Schommer handled the prosecution. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
An NPS employee collapsed while he was taking an arduous work capacity test (WCT) around 11 a.m. on Friday, March 12th. Other employees at the scene responded quickly. After determining that he had no pulse, one ranger began chest compressions while a second administered ventilations via a pocket mask. An ambulance that had been prepositioned at the site in accordance with the park's fire management protocols responded quickly. An automated external defibrillator (AED) was hooked up; it advised that a shock was needed and one was accordingly administered. Ventilations were then provided by a bag valve mask. A third ranger noted that the man was breathing independently and began administering high flow oxygen via a non-rebreather mask. He was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital and later transferred to a regional hospital. Medical personnel believe that the AED was critical in reviving him. He was discharged from the hospital on March 23rd with a favorable prognosis. The arduous WCT is administered to wildland firefighters annually to assess fitness. Participants walk three miles in under 45 minutes while wearing a 45-pound pack. A medical response plan is required in order to administer the test. It includes the evaluation of options for immediate medical care and transport and identification of the closest emergency medical services. A minimum of a qualified first responder/emergency medical responder must be on site during a WCT. Based upon specific evaluation of needs, a higher level of emergency medical qualifications on scene may be warranted. At New River Gorge, the policy is to have an ambulance with an AED on scene for all arduous work capacity tests. [Frank Sellers, District Ranger, New River Gorge; Barb Stewart, NCR/NER Fire Communications Specialist]
On Saturday, March 27th, rangers monitoring the former McKendree Hospital cultural site contacted a local man and woman who were collecting historic era artifacts from a beach on the New River known to be rich with them. When contacted, the pair had in their possession a variety of ceramics, metal objects, glassware, buttons, and medical artifacts, including a glass syringe and needle and part of a glass thermometer. The pair had made piles of various other objects to come back and get later. When contacted, one of them referred to the artifacts as "my treasures." The artifacts were seized; the man and woman were identified and released. The investigating rangers are consulting with the park cultural resources management specialist on the nature and significance of the artifact assemblage prior to filing charges. Charges being considered include violations of the Archeological Resource Protection Act (ARPA), the Antiquities Act, and/or 36 CFR 2.1. McKendree Hospital no longer exists, but served first as a state medical facility for coal miners and their families, then as a nursing school and as a retirement home. It was built around 1900 and closed around 1956. There is little left of the main structure. The site is in a remote area of the park. Recent high river levels have washed out and exposed artifacts from the river bank. [Randy Fisher, Park Ranger]
On April 8th, rangers Sandy Shuck and CW Mitchem began an investigation into the theft of a 2008 Kawasaki Teryx UTV (utility terrain vehicle) that had been stolen from the park headquarters facility in Glen Jean that morning. The crime scene investigation revealed that the thieves had cut and entered the security fencing around the HQ maintenance yard and had tampered with a number of park work vehicles inside. While doing so, they successfully started a Kawasaki Teryx side-by-side UTV and stole it from the lot. Numerous leads were followed, with suspect interrogations and witness interviews conducted in an attempt to locate the UTV. The week-long investigation led the rangers to the communities of Mossy and Pax, both outside the park, where two suspects were identified and contacted. On April 18th, the rangers received an informant tip that the UTV had been abandoned in a remote area along a state road. The vehicle was located and confirmed to be the one that had been stolen from the park. The UTV was subsequently processed by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department forensics team, who searched for latent prints and other evidence. The investigation continues, and charges are being considered. The U.S. Attorney's Office has been contacted. It's believed that the daily, persistent pressure applied by rangers in their investigation prompted the thieves to ditch the UTV prior to being caught with it. [Frank Sellers, Park Ranger]
The Gauley River National Recreation Area and the community of Summersville are hosts to American Whitewater's largest festival of the year - the Gauley Fest. Originally started 1983 to celebrate the derailment of a hydro-electric project that would have dewatered the upper river, Gauley Fest today is one of the largest whitewater festivals in the world and attracts tens of thousands of people. Canyon District and Gauley rangers mobilized to handle the large crowds and traffic. Few law enforcement incidents resulted from the crowds, but rangers conducted six whitewater patrols, assisting many visitors who were pitched from their boats, handled three emergency evacuations (a back injury, a dislocated shoulder, and a seizure) from the remote area, and recovered two drowning victims. The first occurred on Sunday, September 19th. A 26-year-old foreign exchange student, J.A.Y., spilled out of her commercial raft along with several others at the Iron Curtain rapid on the Gauley River at approximately 9:30 a.m. Iron Curtain rapid is located approximately 3.2 miles below the Lake Summersville Dam. Raft guides commenced a search immediately and notified the National Park Service. NPS rangers trained for swift water rescue, Department of Natural Resources personnel, the Summersville dive rescue team, the Nicholas County Sheriff's Department, a Jan Care ambulance crew, and the Kessler's Cross Lanes volunteer fire department responded and began search efforts. Initial search efforts were unsuccessful, so the National Park Service made a request for a reduction in the river flow. The Army Corps of Engineers at the Summersville Dam commenced a progressive drawdown of the Gauley River at approximately 11:00 a.m. to reduce the amount of water cascading through the river corridor. Normal river flows at the time of the accident were about 2800 cubic feet per second. The drawdown resulted in flows of about 200 cubic feet per second, which allowed rescuers and divers to begin working in the pools in and around the Iron Curtain rapid. The victim was found under a large rock that was undercut by the river around 4 p.m. and her body was recovered. The accident investigation is ongoing. On Monday afternoon, rangers received a report that a 21-year-old man in a private raft had disappeared while running Fingernail Rapid on the Gauley River. The rapid is located about 7.5 miles below the Lake Summersville Dam. National Park Service swift water rescue personnel, Kessler's Cross Lanes volunteer firefighters, Nicholas County Sheriff's Department divers, and West Virginia Department of Natural Resources personnel conducted a search of the area. The raft was recovered, but the missing man was not found. The NPS again asked for a reduction in the river flow. The Army Corps of Engineers at the Summersville Dam commenced a progressive drawdown of the Gauley River, reducing the flow to about 300 cubic feet per second. This made it possible for searchers and divers to begin working in the pools in and around the rapid. Due to darkness and river hazards, search operations had to be suspended for the night. A crew remained on scene overnight to monitor the area. Search crews began working their way back into the area early Tuesday morning and again set up search operations on the rapid. Due to the intricacies of the water system and the distance downstream from the dam, it took most of the day for water flows to recede to levels that allowed searchers to safely work under the deep undercut rock. The body of M.H., a 21-year-old Cleveland, Tennessee, man who was an experienced Ocoee River guide, was found by rangers in the rapid that afternoon. An NPS liaison was assigned to the family and friends, later escorting M.H.'s mother and father to the coroner's office. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A kayaker drowned in the Gauley River early this past Sunday afternoon. The accident occurred at Pillow Rock rapids, which is about four river miles below the Summersville Dam. The kayaker, a man in his mid fifties, overturned in the rapid and was unable to right his boat. He was able to get out of the kayak, but became entrapped just below the surface of the water at Camera Rock. Other private boaters worked to free the man and eventually got him to the right bank of the river in Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park. Bystanders began CPR, which was taken over by JanCare paramedics. Efforts to save the man's life continued for some time, but eventually medical control pronounced death. The victim's body was transferred to Summersville Hospital, where the medical examiner will review the case. National Park Service staff, Kesler Cross Lanes volunteer firefighters, and state park and DNR personnel responded to the accident. The name of the victim is being withheld pending the notification of his family. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Saturday, October 16th, the 31st Bridge Day celebration was held at the New River Gorge National River. Crowds estimated at between 120,000 and 200,000 people were managed under a unified incident command team that included the National Park Service, the FBI, the United States Marshall's Service, West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard and over 15 other agencies. Frank Sellers served as the NPS incident commander, Chuck Noll served as the NPS incident liaison, and special agent Chris Schrader served as technical advisor. Over 50 National Park Service employees from all divisions were assigned to the event. Highway 19 was shut down for about nine hours while visitors watched over 400 base jumpers make a total of just over 1000 jumps and 22 rappel teams perform about 100 rappels. The base jumping time window, normally about six hours, was extended an additional half hour after Governor Joe Manchin, who attended the event, requested an extension due to early morning fog delays. There were four ambulance transports to local hospitals resulting from base jumping injuries - one fractured arm, one fractured ankle, one knee injury, and one jumper who waited almost seven seconds to deploy his chute and suffered pelvis, back and chest injuries. One rescuer received a serious avulsion injury while helping a base jumper who landed in a tree and was transported, and there were two visitors who were transported to hospitals due to illness. One other base jumper was treated and released at the scene, as was one of the people participating in the bridge rappel. New River Gorge Bridge was completed on October 22, 1977. It is the longest steel span in the western hemisphere (3,030 feet) and the second highest in the United States (876 feet). The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce has hosted Bridge Day on the third day of October in every year since 1980 - the only day that visitors may walk across the bridge, and, by special dispensation from Congress, the only day that base jumpers may jump in a National Park Service area. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Monday, October 25th, rangers received a report that a local man was headed to Grandview and that he was planning on committing suicide. During the morning, the man had made numerous phone calls to family and friends declaring his intent. Rangers and other park staff responded. Before they could get to Grandview, the man's mother found him on top of Turkey Spur rock, a scenic overlook within the park, suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Once on scene, rangers and NPS fire personnel provided advanced life support along with members of two local ambulance services. He was flown to Charleston Area Medical Center by Healthnet Aeromedical Services, where he succumbed to his injury two days later. Rangers led the investigation and recovered a suicide note, the firearm, his cell phone, and other items from the scene. [Frank Sellers, Acting Chief Ranger]
Ranger Stan Wilson contacted a man and his companion, a juvenile female, near Mason's Branch Access in Gauley River NRA for an illegally parked trailer on Saturday, May 22nd. When Wilson approached the pair, he noticed that the man was sitting on a rock, rolling a piece of aluminum foil into a makeshift pipe. Later, while conducting a consent search, Wilson discovered methamphetamine in the young woman's purse. After consultation with the US Attorney's Office, the case against the 16-year-old girl was processed through the Nicholas County prosecutor's office. On November 16th, she pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine, was ordered to undergo treatment and submit to random drug testing, and placed on probation with monthly monitoring until her 18th birthday. The man was on parole out of Missouri for manufacturing methamphetamine, and had been transferred to West Virginia probation and parole by Missouri. West Virginia officials revoked his parole and he was sent back to Missouri to finish out his previous sentence. The case represented excellent observations and follow-up by Wilson and good use of local resources to handle a juvenile case. It has greatly improved the park's relationships with state prosecutors and the Nicholas County drug task force. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the morning of Tuesday, January 18th, sixteen cars of a train operated under the authority of CSX Transportation derailed within the boundaries of New River Gorge National River. The derailed cars spilled tons of corn onto the CSX right of way. Rangers were on scene with 30 minutes of the accident. A CSX clean-up crew was dispatched immediately to the site and conducted cleanup operations under the authority of an MOU with the park. All operations were overseen by NPS personnel. In addition to the cleanup crew, a CSX accident investigation team was also dispatched to the site; this investigation is ongoing. At the time of the accident, which occurred about a quarter mile north of Prince, West Virginia, the train was traveling between 22 and 25 miles per hour as it approached the Prince tunnel. The CSX Transportation network encompasses about 21,000 route miles of track in 23 states, the District of Columbia and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and operates on track that runs the entire length of the park. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Jamie Keach recently received a call from a park neighbor who lives within the boundaries of New River Gorge National River, reporting a missing truck and an overdue trailer. She entered the missing truck and trailer into NCIC and identified a suspect. Keach learned that the man had sold the truck for scrap, was still in possession of the trailer, and found that he had an outstanding warrant against him. Keach contacted the man and convinced him to drop the trailer at the Sandstone Visitor Center. Summer's County Sheriff's Department deputies and rangers waited for him to arrive and effected an arrest. Keach continues the investigation; felony theft charges are pending. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Stan Wilson saw two men leaving the Cole Lot in a hurry with a truckload of CSX rail system HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tie_plate" "Tie_plates" tie plates (the railway runs through the park). Wilson called for backup and pulled the truck over. Rangers Peggy Brown and Karl Keach were soon on scene. Both men in the truck were found to have significant criminal histories for fraud and theft offenses. A total of 132 tie plates were found in the truck bed, which the men admitted they intended to sell for scrap. Coordination with CSX Police has placed the monetary value of the plates at over $1000. The investigation continues and felony theft charges will be sought. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Sandy Shuck recently received a tip that a theft was underway at a park-owned house in Prince, West Virginia. Rangers Justin Cawiezel and Jamie Keach responded and caught the man in the process of removing property from the house. He had loaded up his truck and was going to sell the materials he had removed for scrap. Various charges are pending, including theft of government property, trespass, and vandalism. An investigation and consultation with the US Attorney's Office are underway. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Late on the afternoon of Sunday, April 3rd, rangers received a report that a johnboat with five fishermen on board had overturned on the New River near Meadow Creek. Two of the men were able to swim to shore, but the other three disappeared. The New River was flowing at about 9,600 cubic feet per second at the time and the water temperature was approximately 50 degrees. Personnel from the National Park Service, the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Green Sulfur Springs VFD, Hinton VFD, and the Region 5 Dive Team searched for them from shortly after the notification was received until 9 p.m., when search operations were suspended due to the hazards of nighttime search on the river. Recovery operations continued yesterday. The Corps of Engineers planned to reduce the flow from the Bluestone Dam yesterday to assist search teams. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Late on the afternoon of Sunday, April 3rd, rangers received a report that a johnboat with five fishermen aboard had overturned on the New River near Meadow Creek. Two of the men were able to swim to shore, but the other three disappeared. The New River was flowing at about 9,600 cubic feet per second at the time and the surface water temperature was approximately 50 degrees. Personnel from the National Park Service, the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Green Sulfur Springs VFD, Hinton VFD, and the Region 5 Dive Team searched for them from shortly after the notification was received until 9 p.m., when search operations were suspended due to the hazards of nighttime search on the river. Recovery operations continued on Monday. Searchers in five boats checked the area downriver from the accident site. Just before noon, the body of one of the men - P.M., 23, of Lester, West Virginia - was found about 300 yard from the spot where the accident occurred. Three hours later, searchers in another boat found the body of S.A., 49, of Richmond, Virginia, about 100 yards downriver from the accident scene. The search for fisherman D.H. of Lester was suspended late Monday afternoon due to significant lightning in the area. The search was to resume on Tuesday. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
The search for fisherman D.H., missing since last Sunday, continued throughout Tuesday. D.H. fell into the New River Sunday evening when the boat he was riding in capsized. Two men were able to swim to shore, but D.H., Paul Malone, and Sam Acord did not survive the accident. None of the five men were wearing life jackets. Both Malone and Acord's bodies were recovered during search operations on Monday. Rescuers worked in wintery conditions throughout the day; heavy overnight rains resulted in increased river flows to 12,500 cubic feet per second. Five boat teams - crewed by the National Park Service, West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Green Sulfur Springs VFD, and Hinton VFD - used sonar and river drags throughout the day to search the muddy river, but were unsuccessful in their efforts. Beckley Fire Department, Forest Hill VFD, and the Region 5 Dive team also supported the search effort. Search and recovery operations continued yesterday. Plans were to bring in cadaver dogs to assist the boat and diver teams. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
The search for fisherman D.H., missing since he and four other men fell into the New River when their boat capsized on April 3rd, was suspended at the end of Monday, April 11th. Two of the men were able to swim to shore after the accident, but D.H., P.M., and S.A. drowned in the river. The bodies of P.M. and S.A. were recovered during search operations on Monday, April 4th. Significant amounts of runoff from recent rains hampered recovery operations. Flows from Bluestone Dam and additional water coming in from Greenbrier River and other tributaries increased the flow in the search area to over 36,000 CFS for several days. Flows have not been lower than 12,500 CFS at any point since April 4th. A search dog did hit on an area of interest near where two of the other bodies were recovered, but boat teams were unable to locate D.H. due to the high water. Five boat teams - operated by the National Park Service, Department of Natural Resources, Green Sulfur Springs VFD, and Hinton VFD - employed sonar and river drags throughout the search of the muddy river. Other teams scoured the river banks and debris piles within the six mile long search area. The Beckley Fire Department, Forest Hill VFD, and Region 5 Dive Team also supported search efforts. Crews have fought fluctuating weather conditions, including snow and sleet, temperatures as high as 84 degrees, thunderstorms, and high winds. Additional rain is forecast for the remainder of this week. The Corps of Engineers does not expect to be able to reduce the discharge from the Bluestone Dam significantly at any point in the near future. Although the formal search has been suspended, boat patrols from the National Park Service and the Department of Natural Resources are conducting daily patrols of the area. When lower flow conditions resume, search effort will resume. The accident is under investigation by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
The body of D.H. was found by NPS river patrol rangers and recovered from the New River late on Monday morning nearly 10 miles downstream from where he was last seen on April 3rd. On that date, D.H. was with four other men who fell from a boat when it overturned, dumping all five into the river. Two men were able to swim to shore. D.H., P.M., and S.A. were missing after the accident and presumed drowned. None of the men were wearing lifejackets. An interagency search and recovery effort was begun that day that included the NPS and a variety of West Virginia state, county, local, and volunteer resources. The bodies of P.M. and S.A. were recovered on April 4th. The search for D.H. continued daily, but was scaled back to routine, daily boat patrols on April 10th due to high water levels from spring rains. High water and time greatly expanded the search area to over 20 miles downstream. At the time of recovery, the New River was flowing at 49,000 cubic feet per second, or about 15 times that of normal summer pool. This incident is the first triple-drowning in the history of the park and marks the first three fatalities of the year. IC for this incident was C.W. Mitchem. [Frank Sellers]
Rangers were contacted about a missing woman by the Fayette County Sherriff's Department on the evening of Friday, April 22nd. She had been out partying with a female companion when the vehicle they were in got stuck. The two women took refuge in an abandoned house and fell asleep; when the missing woman's companion awoke, she was alone. She walked out and summoned assistance. Tracking dogs and hasty teams were employed in a search for the woman in the Horseshoe Creek area, a remote area of Fayette County adjacent to the Gauley National Recreation Area (administered by New River). The search was scaled back that night due to darkness, but resumed Saturday morning. Tracking dog teams, ground teams, and river sweep teams were deployed. A spotter in a state police helicopter flying over the Gauley that afternoon saw a body floating in the river below Diagonal Ledges. An interagency recovery team pulled the body from the water at shortly thereafter and determined that she was the missing woman. An investigation is underway. Assisting in the incident were the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, the Nutall and Ansted Fire Departments, the Oak Hill Swiftwater Rescue Team, the West Virginia Canine Team, the Fayette County Rope Rescue Team, and the West Virginia State Police. Karl Keach served as the IC for the incident, and is the lead case investigator for the NPS. Rangers were then called out around midnight on Saturday night to search for three missing people. They'd been on a rafting trip on the Gauley River, but had decided to leave the raft and hike out from Iron Ring. A hasty search team consisting of an NPS ranger and Kesler Cross Lanes volunteer fire department members located the trio around 2 a.m. The team hiked into the remote area and made contact with the men around 4:30 a.m. The arduous hike out continued until after daylight. The rescue party and rafters made it to the search command post around 9 a.m. Justin Cawiezel investigated the incident and determined that the three boaters had asked to be let out after having difficulty with some of the big rapids. A mutiny had occurred and the three passengers were let out on the bank by the guide, who then continued down to the takeout at Masons Branch. Frank Sellers served as the IC on this incident. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Sunday, June 5th, a 22-year-old climber from Pennsylvania was lead climbing a route at the Bubba City Climbing Area when he fell approximately 12 feet. His fall on the 5.10 rated climb was arrested by his climbing partner, but he hit his head and was knocked unconscious (he was not wearing a helmet). A rescue operation was launched around 2:30 p.m. and involved the park's SAR team, Fayette County's rope rescue team, and several local climbers and volunteer firefighters. Due the difficult terrain and the low angle litter rigging needed to safely move the litter up the trail, it took about two hours to carry him out to an ambulance. He was transferred to a Health Net helicopter at Burnwood and flown to the Charleston Area Medical Center. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On May 30th, rangers received a call from Fayette County dispatch reporting an injured rafter at the Keeney's Creek pool on the New River. Ranger Randy Fisher responded. With the assistance of trip members, the injured woman was evaluated and found to be suffering from a dislocated patella. She was, placed on a backboard and transported to a waiting ambulance. The woman and other members of her party were rafting through Upper Keeney Rapid when the raft tipped to the left. The rafter on the right front of the raft fell to the left, striking the woman. Both of them fell out of the raft, but the woman's foot was caught in the raft as she exited, causing the trauma to her leg. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A 25-year-old Colorado woman was climbing on the Fern Creek Party Wall on the evening of June 13th when she fell about 15 feet and slammed into the wall, knocking herself unconscious. The Fern Creek Party Wall is part of the Endless Wall climbing area. The climber was employing traditional methods and was almost at the top of the 5.10-rated Biohazard Route when the accident occurred. She'd just placed a cam device for protection and was leaning back to rest when the placement failed and she fell about 15 feet. The next piece of protection held, though, and her belayer was able to catch her. Although wearing a helmet, the impact knocked her out for about 30 seconds. After she regained consciousness, she was lowered the rest of the way and carried out to a waiting ambulance by Fayette County's high-angle rescue team, assisted by local firefighters. She was then flown to Charleston for evaluation. Although she complained of dizziness, hearing loss and back pain, her injuries were not deemed severe and she was soon released. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Two men were pulled over for speeding while driving on US 19 by a Summersville PD officer last Thursday evening. The officer observed a one-bottle meth cook going on inside and called the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force. Officers learned that the men were staying at the Tailwaters Campground in Gauley River NRA and went there to continue the drug investigation. A search of the tents and campsite revealed precursors of meth production. Both men were arrested and arraigned last Friday in state court. A third man supposedly involved has not been identified yet. The investigation continues, as rangers gather case information from drug task force officers. Both suspects had just gotten out of prison and have meth charges in their criminal histories. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A rash of 30 car clouts (vehicle break-ins) at rock climber parking lots bordering the park starting in about mid-July resulted in a joint investigation involving rangers and the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Rangers deployed covert game cameras at one parking lot which resulted in a sequence of pictures showing suspects pulling in, deploying lookouts, looking into cars, smashing a window, and then driving away. Credit card checks showed use of stolen cards at local retail stores. Rangers and deputies canvassed these stores and located store video footage showing two men using the stolen credit cards. An interagency surveillance operation consisting of rangers and Fayette County deputies was coordinated that targeted four parking lots. On the afternoon of July 29th, the suspect vehicle photographed in a prior car clout pulled into a parking lot under surveillance. Two men matching the description of those filmed earlier in the week at the retail stores got out and began to case an unattended rock climber vehicle. One man walked into the woods and encountered the rangers conducting the surveillance and both were immediately contacted. They were identified as two Beckley men known to rangers and police from prior car clout and drug offenses. Both men are currently on parole for previous offenses. In a search of their vehicle, methamphetamine was also found. Rangers and deputies conducted interviews of both men, which resulted in confessions to a number of car clouts both in and out of the park. Rangers are continuing to build a case, including charges for vandalism, theft, conspiracy and credit card fraud. Preliminary dialogue with the US Attorney's Office's white collar crime division indicates that they are prepared to charge the suspects with felony 18 USC access device crimes and conspiracy. Eric Oaks is lead investigator for the park. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On July 28th and July 29th, rangers assisted the West Virginia State Police and National Guard with a marijuana eradication mission. Areas flown included the river corridors along Gauley River NRA and New River Gorge NR in Fayette and Nicholas Counties. Rangers eradicated six gardens located during the overflights. As they closed in on one garden, a man was spotted and contacted. Charges against him are pending the completion of the investigation. The six sites yielded 300 plants. Additional park-specific overflights are being coordinated with the West Virginia Air National Guard and the state police for a later time. Ranger Stan Wilson is lead coordinator for the park. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of August 1st, rangers received report of a naked woman on a remote bank of the New River. She'd flagged down a passing party of private boaters, saying that she was being chased by someone. In short order, rangers were able to make contact and she told them she and two others had snorted " HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylenedioxypyrovalerone" bath salts" the previous night. She also told rangers her friends were in the woods and that their car was parked somewhere in the area - but she was not really sure where. With the aid of a West Virginia Department of Forestry bloodhound, the woman's vehicle was soon located. It was found wrecked and stuck on a remote dirt road. As the search progressed, another woman and a man, both naked, soon emerged from the woods asking for help; both were under the influence of bath salts. All three of the people had spent most of the night wandering in the woods and were dehydrated and suffered from numerous cuts and insect bites. They were all transported to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment. Investigation revealed that the trio had driven to a remote part of the park the previous day and set up a "camp" by the roadside near Dowdy Creek. After ingesting the bath salts, they stripped naked due to the heat and then became separated from one another, wandering around in the woods until discovered by rangers. Rangers issued citations to the trio at the hospital. This is the second known bath salts incident handled by rangers during the summer. In both cases, subjects hallucinated and became paranoid under the influence of the drug, wrecked their vehicles, and were taken from their accident scenes by EMS. Ranger CW Mitchem was IC for the incident and is the case ranger. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
C.W. of Oak Hill, West Virginia, was sentenced to six months in prison in federal district court a week ago Tuesday for his involvement in the arson of a portable restroom facility at a rock climber parking lot in June, 2010. In addition to the prison sentence, C.W. was ordered to pay nearly $2,000 in restitution to the park for the damage. His prison sentence will be served consecutive to a 6 to 30 year prison term he is currently serving on sexual abuse charges in a state case. Rangers cooperating with the Oak Hill PD developed C.W. as a suspect during the sex abuse investigation. C.W. was implicated by a witness and later confessed to setting the restroom afire. Ranger Stan C.W. (no relation) is the case ranger for the park. [Frank Sellers, Park Ranger]
While patrolling the Claypool Road area in early September, ranger Sandy Shuck encountered and spoke with a man walking along the road. Based on her conversation with him, she became concerned that he might be digging ginseng or other valuable roots in the park. In the days after the contact, Shuck developed information that the man was known for digging and selling roots and had been coming into the park frequently in recent weeks. On September 5th, Shuck met the man at his residence and talked to him about his root digging activities. During this conversation, the man confessed to having dug and collected roots from the park. Shuck was given a box containing nearly ten pounds of HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cohosh" black cohosh roots and three pounds of HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldenseal" goldenseal roots that he said had come from the park. The man also gave her his digging tools. Black cohosh ranges in price from $2.50 to $5.00 per pound; dried goldenseal roots range in price from $15.00 to $25.00 per pound, but can go as much as $40.00 per pound. No ginseng was found. The suspect was issued citations for violations of 36 CFR. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A commercial raft with six people on board overturned at the Pillow Rock Rapid on the Gauley River around 8:30 a.m. on the morning of September 26th. The river was flowing at about 3200 cubic feet per second when the raft overturned, ejecting the occupants. River guides pulled the rafters out of the river and conducted a head count. When the count came up one short, they initiated emergency protocols and began searching for her. The missing rafter was identified as a 40-year-old West Virginia woman. The National Park Service was notified within minutes and responded with rangers and river patrol units. Joining in the response were personnel from the Department of Natural Resources, Carnifex Ferry State Park, Kessler Cross Lanes VFD, the West Virginia State Police and National Guard, Nicholas County Emergency Services, and Jan Care. A downriver search of other rafts, trails and access points was conducted while river units began a detailed search of the Pillow Rock rapids. Pillow Rock is located about four miles below the Summersville Dam. This is a class V rapid and has a 30-foot drop over the course of the run. The Army Corps of Engineers gradually reduced the flow to the rapid over several hours to allow other rafts to safely navigate down the river. Around 3 p.m., with the flow down to about 500 cubic feet per second, river rangers Kathy Zerkle and Matt McQueen spotted a life vest under a large unnamed rock below the rapids and soon found the missing rafter's body. It was recovered and brought to shore. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Wednesday, August 24th, R.H. of Fayetteville, West Virginia, pled guilty to a single count misdemeanor violation of the Archeological Resource Protection Act before a federal magistrate. R.H.'s plea stemmed from an ARPA investigation that began in January 2010 and culminated in R.H. being caught digging in a site in April. The crime scene was processed by rangers, who documented a total of 16 dig areas, the product of two days worth of digging and sifting. Hundreds more artifacts were recovered from loose piles of disturbed soil at the sites. A damage assessment compiled by the park placed the archeological value and cost of restoration and repair at over $46,000. Sentencing is scheduled for November and R.H. is expected to receive a term of probation pursuant to a Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure rule (11(c)(1)(c)) which was agreed upon as a component of the plea agreement. This is first ARPA conviction in the history of the park and the first in the Southern District of West Virginia. Ranger Frank Sellers led the investigation. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A BASE jumper who parachuted from the 876-foot-high New River Bridge in May of 2010 has been identified after a year-long investigation and has paid a substantial fine in federal court in West Virginia. BASE jumping is the act of using a parachute to jump from fixed objects, with the four-letter acronym standing for the four categories of objects from which one can jump - building, antenna, span, and earth. BASE jumping is a violation of 36 CFR, and is considered to be one of the most hazardous of parachuting techniques. An investigation was undertaken by rangers and a video of the jump was found on the internet within a few days. The BASE jumper in the video was identified as A.L., a professional athlete who has represented several organizations. A.L. left the state after the event and several agencies collaborated to track him down. Assistance was provided by the Littleton, Louisville, and Boulder Police Departments in Colorado and the NPS Investigative Services Branch in Denver. On September 14th, A.L. agree to settle the case by paying a fine of $650. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Bridge Day was held in the park on the Saturday before last and drew almost 100,000 visitors. The bridge over New River Gorge National River is a prominent icon in West Virginia. Dedicated and officially opened on October 22, 1977, the New River Gorge Bridge spans 1,700 feet with an overall length of 3,030 feet; it is the longest single arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and the second longest in the world. At 876 feet high, it is the second highest bridge in the United States. It is owned by the West Virginia Department of Highways, and the Bridge Day celebration is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and numerous state and county agencies. The first New River Gorge Bridge Day was held on November 8, 1980. The celebration is held annually on the third Saturday in October and is West Virginia's largest single-day event. The event is keynoted by the largest BASE jumping event in the world. For six hours during the festival, the New River Gorge Bridge is the launching point for BASE jumps, rappelling teams and high line rides done under permit. This year there were 868 rappels, and 750 BASE jumps completed by 421 jumpers. This included 11 tandem jumps, a first for the event. Boat rescue teams made 180 water pick-ups; there were eight ambulance transports for back injuries, broken limbs, and other injuries. One BASE jumper failed to open his parachute in time and hit the river at about 60mph and was hospitalized with spinal injuries, lung injuries, and a fractured pelvis. The event is managed under the incident command system. Fourteen agencies participated in the operation, including the FBI, United States Marshall's Service, West Virginia State Police, West Virginia National Guard, West Virginia Office of Emergency Services, West Virginia Department of Transportation, Fayette County Sheriff's Department, Fayette County OES, Fayette County Fire, Jan-Care Ambulance Service, Health Net Air Ambulance, Air Evac Air Ambulance, and the Bridge Day Commission. The National Park Service committed two rescue boats, and 33 personnel to the event. In addition, the Fayette County Green Team, assisted by the Appalachian State University Outdoor Program, collected almost 600 pounds of cardboard generated from vendors for recycling. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Randy Fisher recently responded to a report of a vehicle parked on the side of the road on the north end of the New River Gorge Bridge. When Fisher contacted the driver, he noticed a pill container, cell phone, and pen and paper on the passenger side front seat. He also noticed that the paper had writing on it that filled most of the page. Fisher has had four previous successful suicide interdictions on the 867-foot-high bridge, which is a common location for suicide attempts. Fisher's experience led him into a conversation with the driver, during which he was able to learn that the man was going through some hard times. The man voluntarily gave Fisher his note, which described a family crisis that he was involved with. Fisher was able to help him understand that there was help available, and the man decided to try a voluntary committal for mental health. General Ambulance arrived on scene and he was transferred to a local hospital along with the note and his pill container, which contained prescribed hydrocodone. Ranger Tim Swicegood assisted. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A Fayette County deputy saw several people gathered near a woman sitting on the rail of the New River Gorge Bridge shortly before 4 p.m. on December 5th. The 40-year-old Virginia woman had stopped her car in the northbound lane of US 19 and climbed onto the railing, 876 feet above the New River. Several motorists had stopped and were trying to talk the woman into moving away from the railing. By the time the deputy could get over to her, she was hanging from the Jersey barrier style rail. As he reached out to grab her forearm, she pushed off and fell to her death. The investigation is ongoing; there was no note found on her or in her vehicle. Rangers Tim Swicegood and Randy Fisher assisted in the body recovery; ranger Chuck Noll assisted with traffic control on the heavily used corridor. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Randy Fisher developed information that a BASE jump group out of Ohio was planning on making multiple parachute jumps from the New River Gorge Bridge this last weekend. On the night of December 10th, as a full moon rose over the gorge, the ranger assigned to observe the bridge for activity heard and then saw several individuals parachuting from the catwalk below the bridge. The river was flowing around 20,000 cubic feet per second, very high for this time of the year. Due to the high water, the only place available for the BASE jumpers to land was the railroad track. The surveillance ranger watched as the jumpers were picked up by someone in a vehicle and was able to vector in rangers stationed nearby. Rangers stopped the vehicle a short distance away and found five people from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana inside. They also discovered four deployed parachutes. A total of nine mandatory appearance citations were issued for trespassing, HYPERLINK "http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/2-17-aircraft-and-air-delivery-19767506" illegal air delivery, and for aiding and abetting illegal air delivery. One of the five had previously been cited by rangers for trespassing on the bridge while attempting an illegal BASE jump. Rangers Karl Keach, Randy Fisher, Nate Freier, and District Ranger Frank Sellers worked the case. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On October 17th, a ranger received a tip concerning a possible stolen Featherlite trailer stashed in the Quinnimont area of the park. While investigating the report, he saw a local man driving away with the trailer in tow and recognized him as someone rangers had previously charged with theft offenses in the park. After a short chase that eventually left the park, he was able to stop the man and determine that the trailer was stolen. The man was arrested by state police, charged with theft, released by the court, and restricted to home confinement. Several towns exist within the park's boundaries and the only major thoroughfares in this part of the state pass through the park. Rangers began receiving information from residents of local communities to the effect that the man was involved in the transporting of stolen vehicles, property, weapons and drugs - much of the activity occurring with the park. The rangers passed the information on to state police and federal prosecutors. Investigators assigned to the case asked that rangers remain involved due to the quality and quantity of verified information they were able to provide. While out on home confinement, the man was tracked via his monitoring device and found to be spending a good deal of time traveling back and forth through the park at all hours of the day and night. On November 7th, with the assistance of a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) agent, rangers and state troopers verified a stolen vehicle with an obliterated vehicle identification number dumped in a remote area just outside of the park and linked it to the man. On November 14th, he was arrested for violations of his home confinement. On the following day, rangers, state troopers, and the NICB agent linked two other vehicles and a trailer that had been stolen in the area with the man and connected them with his travels through the park. Based on information provided by an informant, investigators believed there were more stolen vehicles at his brother's residence which were linked to the criminal enterprise. State police conducted a helicopter flyover of the property before Thanksgiving, which revealed a number of vehicles that were consistent in description with stolen vehicle reports and corroborated information gathered from numerous sources. Additional information indicated that there was a stolen vehicle HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_shop" chop shop on the property. The numerous backcountry roads through the park and ready access to major thoroughfares made this an ideal location for such an operation. On December 5th, rangers and the NICB assisted state police with the execution of a search warrant on the brother's property. The results of that warrant confirmed a dozen stolen trucks and approx 20 others with the VINs obliterated that are believed to be stolen. Also found were a stolen UTV, two stolen ATVs, a stolen tractor, a stolen lawnmower, a stolen trailer, a stolen diesel tank, 63 firearms (several stolen), and evidence of cockfighting. Rangers and state police executed a similar search warrant on the same property in the mid 1990's to recover a John Deere tractor that had been stolen from the park by the same suspects. West Virginia State Police authorities have commended the rangers for their investigative determination, local knowledge, and community interaction, without which the case would not have progressed as quickly or completely as it did. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Fayette County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to a report of a vehicle parked on the New River Gorge Bridge on the night of December 29th. The vehicle was unoccupied with no one around. Suspecting a possible suicide jump, deputies conducted a hasty search and notified rangers. Rangers coordinated with deputies and detectives and assisted with the search. Shortly after arriving on scene, the body of a 33-year-old California man was found on the roadway under the bridge. It was recovered and turned over to the state medical examiner's office. Stan Wilson is the investigating ranger for the park. [J. M. Cawiezel, Acting Chief Ranger]
Fayette County deputies were called to investigate a vehicle abandoned on the 876-foot-high New River Gorge Bridge around 4:30 a.m. last Thursday morning. They quickly realized that there was a suicidal man sitting on the Jersey barrier at the edge of the bridge. Two deputies and a lieutenant from that department, the latter trained by the FBI as a crisis negotiator, began talking with him while rangers, FBI agents and West Virginia state troopers responded. Just before 6 a.m., all traffic across the bridge, a major travel artery, was shut down. Rangers also closed off the area below the bridge and cleared people out. Investigation revealed that the man, who had recently separated from the military for medical reasons, suffers from psychological disorders and takes prescription drugs to control his anxiety and panic attacks. The man's father was contacted; he confirmed that his son had been discharged from the military for medical reasons and that he'd been particularly distraught over the apparent suicide of his former girlfriend the previous week. He had left a note to his father in his vehicle, expressing his desire to commit suicide. Throughout the ordeal, the man went from calm and reasoned to extremely agitated and threatening. At times he would step up to and start over the rail on the bridge, while at other times he would step back and strike an upright "runner's stance" as if preparing to run and launch himself from the bridge. The heavy clothing he was wearing and his position precluded the use of a taser. After four hours of negotiations with intermittent success, the man asked a negotiator if he could have some water and take his meds. About 45 minutes later, he appeared to be more relaxed and was no longer having any outbursts. At this time, he'd moved to the center barrier of the bridge and was leaning against it. Around 10:30 a.m., he asked for a cigarette and was allowed to smoke. When he finished it, he leaned against the barrier and appeared to be nodding off. Officers from several agencies tackled him and got him under control. He was transferred to a medical facility for evaluation. This incident was preceded and followed by two other reports of pedestrians on the bridge (pedestrian traffic is illegal anywhere on the bridge surface). The first turned out to be a photographer; in the second incident, on Friday, rangers found a young man sitting on the edge with his feet dangling over the river. They asked him to come down and he immediately complied. After an evaluation, he was released to his mother. [Jeff West. Chief Ranger]
On the morning of April 4, Fayette County deputies responded to a report of car parked on the New River Gorge Bridge. They located the vehicle, but found no one around. Suspecting a suicide, a hasty search was conducted under the bridge. Due to darkness, the search was unsuccessful and was postponed until daylight. Rangers were notified and responded to assist. Rangers and deputies continued the search at daylight and soon found the body of a 49-year-old man from Petersburg, Virginia, under the bridge. His body was recovered by rangers, deputies, and local fire and EMS personnel. Ranger Karl Keach is investigating ranger for the park, assisted by FTEP trainee Damon Derousse. [Frank Sellers, Canyon District Ranger]
A 38-year-old Ohio man died on April 17th while on an afternoon boating trip with friends near Lower Keeney's Creek Rapids on the New River. Prior to his death and after he fell out of his boat and swam upper Railroad Rapids, he'd been complaining to his boating companions that he didn't feel well and that he thought he'd pulled a muscle in his chest. At Lower Keeney's, he fell out of his canoe again and swam the rapid, coming ashore downstream. He motioned to his friends to get help and was seen grabbing at his chest. As his friends went for help, he pulled his canoe out of the river and attempted to climb a steep, boulder-strewn hillside up to some railroad tracks. Meanwhile, his friends ran downstream to the Fayette Station takeout to get to his vehicle. Another friend stayed with him but was across the river and was unable to help. Upon reaching the vehicle, they drove to Fayetteville and eventually activated 911. As darkness fell, rangers, Fayette County Sheriff's Office deputies, and local fire and EMS responded and subsequently launched a ground search for the man that continued through the night and into the next morning. The search was suspended about 2 a.m. on Wednesday due to darkness. The man's friends called rangers two hours later and reported that they'd found him and that he was dead. A few hours later and at daylight, rangers coordinated the recovery effort and established visual contact with the victim soon after arriving back on scene. River rescue rangers rafted and kayaked downstream from Cunard and were guided to the location. They found the man on a large rock on the hillside not far above his canoe. River rangers ferried investigating rangers across the New River, assisted with the scene processing, and then conducted the recovery, which required low-angle, semi-technical rope rigging techniques. The river level at the time was approximately 5,624 cubic feet per second (cfs), or about 2.8 feet above normal summer pool. During the recovery, train traffic on the CSX main line was temporarily suspended for rescuer safety. The man's body has been turned over to the state medical examiner's office. Ranger Randy Fisher is the case ranger for the park and is being assisted by field training ranger Eric Oaks and FTEP trainee Damon Derousse. [Frank Sellers, Park Ranger]
Ranger David Caldwell collapsed while preparing to present a school program at the Grandview Area of New River Gorge National River early on Tuesday afternoon. Ranger Richard Altare and volunteer Ron Hunter began CPR within seconds of Caldwell's collapse and deployed an automatic external defibrillator (AED), which delivered one shock. Two nurses with the visiting school group continued CPR until ambulance personnel with Jan Care EMS arrived 15 minutes later. Jan Care personnel continued CPR and administered two additional shocks. David was then transported to a local hospital where hospital staff took extreme measures to save him, but all efforts failed and he was pronounced dead at approximately 2 p.m. David was a deeply loved member of the New River Gorge National River family, and the park staff is devastated by this loss. For more than fourteen years, David provided education programs for thousands of school children. He was also the park's very capable and primary public information officer, providing valuable information to members of the press and regular updates to the park's website. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our favorite and most capable park rangers," said Superintendent Don Striker, "but we take some small solace in the fact that David passed away while doing what he loved - sharing his love of the outdoors with a group of students. Our entire staff sends their sympathy, thoughts and prayers to David's family and friends during this difficult time." [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Wednesday, May 16th, a 911 dispatch center notified patrol rangers that a boating accident had been reported on the river and that a man was missing. After interviews with witnesses, rangers determined that the accident had occurred in Silo Rapid, located about two-and-a-half miles upriver from Stone Cliff campground. Hasty search teams in six boats searched both river banks for a distance of four miles downstream from where the victim was last seen. The muddy river, flowing nine feet above normal for this time of year due to heavy rains, made search operations difficult. The initial search was suspended at dark. From Thursday until Sunday, crews worked the pools and eddies below the accident site with drags, sonar, and probe poles. Volunteers assisted in the search by combing the river banks and working eddies from the bank side. All commercial rafting and fishing companies were notified of the incident. On Saturday night there was a one foot rise in the river level and on early Sunday morning the members of a commercial fishing trip reported a body floating about three-and-a-half miles downriver from the accident site. The victim, Bradley Alexander, was recovered by river rangers. His body has been sent to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy. Oak Hill Fire Department water rescue, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Jan-Care Ambulance, a cadaver dog team, the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and numerous volunteers assisted with the search efforts. Eric Oaks served as the incident commander. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
River patrol rangers contacted the occupants of a private raft that had flipped in the rapid on the New River on the afternoon of Saturday, June 9th. Two of the passengers were in their 70's and did not take the swim very well. One of them, a 73-year-old woman, was complaining of shortness of breath. Rangers evaluated the woman, who said that she did not want to continue the trip. She reported that she had three cardiac stents and that she'd had a heart attack in 2007. She was also diabetic. Rangers organized the evacuation and continued to monitor her. Additional rangers responded to the area to assist with the evacuation. The raft and other gear were carried out at the fisherman's access, while the woman and husband were taken to a local hospital for further examination. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Sunday, June 10th, learned that a suicidal woman was parked in the Canyon Rim parking lot near the New River Gorge Bridge. The 40-year-old Virginia woman had called a suicide hotline in her home state. Counselors were able to determine her location and called the Fayette County 911 center. Rangers Frank Sellers and Randy Fisher were dispatched and located the woman in the parking lot, still sitting in her car. They were able to convince her to seek help and evaluation. She was transferred to a local hospital by Jan Care Ambulance and placed under a psychiatric evaluation hold. Family members arrived early on Monday morning and she was released to their care. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers, local fire and EMS, and Fayette County deputies responded to a report of a single car accident on McKendree Road last Friday afternoon. First responders found the car on its top, over an embankment, and off the roadway, with two people trapped inside. Rangers assisted Oak Hill VFD and local EMS with the extrication and patient evacuation. Shortly after being extricated from the car, a 17-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene. A young woman in the vehicle was extricated and then flown by medevac helicopter to Charleston. During the helicopter evacuation, rangers established the emergency landing zone and provided the ground contact for the helicopter. While in flight, the patient said that her five-year-old child was also in the car at the time of the accident. Rescuers again converged on the accident scene and were looking for the child around the remains of the demolished car when the woman said that she had lied and that the child was safe with a relative. The statement was verified by a relative and no signs of any other victim were found other than the two previously identified occupants. Rangers led the investigation throughout the rest of the night and met with members of the boy's family and the state medical examiner's office at the hospital. By shift's end, both had been identified. The preliminary investigation indicated that the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree broadside before rolling over onto its top. The investigation continues. [Frank Sellers]
On Friday, June 22nd, two men were wade fishing in New River Gorge National River just above Sandstone Falls when they lost their footing and were swept towards the falls. Sandstone Falls, a 25-foot-high waterfall with powerful undercurrents and massive boulders, stretches across the New River near Hinton, West Virginia. Several drownings have occurred at the falls over the years. The two men, one 20 and the other 40, were both experienced fishermen and were wearing personal flotation devices. They were able to grab onto a rock in the middle of the stream 15 feet upriver from the falls. Bystanders noticed the fishermen's plight and called 911 at about 8:30 p.m. Rangers and Summers County volunteer firemen from Station 13 were dispatched to the scene. Station 13 swiftwater rescue personnel had participated in training with NPS rangers last year, and the teams integrated for the rescue. A safety boat manned by three Station 13 personnel was positioned below the falls for rescue during the extrication operation. As darkness began to settle across the river valley, a team of rangers and volunteer firemen rigged a safety rope and haul system for the extrication team. A three man extrication team made up of firefighters and led by ranger Bill Parker waded across the river and effected the rescue of the stranded fishermen. There were no injuries, and the operation was complete by 11 p.m. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the evening of Friday, June 29th, the three parks administered through New River Gorge National River - New River Gorge, Gauley River National Recreation Area and Bluestone National Scenic River - were struck by a fast-moving HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho" derecho. The straight-line windstorm came on the area without warning and packed winds of 80 to 100 mph. The National Weather Service has compared the impacts along its path to those of an EF-1 tornado, except over a much broader area - in this case, from Illinois to Washington, DC. Rangers quickly determined that visitors were trapped in campgrounds by fallen trees, and park staff worked through the night to remove enough downed trees to get them out. One person was slightly hurt and several cars were damaged by falling trees. Rangers continued to help visitors and began surveying damage on Saturday. Temperatures of 100 degrees - unheard of in this area - drove visitors to the parks' rivers and streams. Thousands inched around downed trees or cut their way into favored riverside sites. The initial size-up indicated that there were thousands of trees down in visitor areas, that there was no power to any site within the three parks, and that almost every park employee was without power at home. By mid-afternoon, gas shortages (only a few stations in the four-county area were operating) forced park staff to reduce recovery efforts and patrols, and maintain stationary posts at the highest use sites so that gas could be conserved in case of a further emergency. The power company reported damage to every main transmission line and to more than 50 area substations, and more poles snapped in Fayette County (where park headquarters and many of most frequently visited park sites are located) than anywhere else in the four state area. Predictably, the many visitors at and in the river led to an emergency. The park received a call around 7 p.m. Saturday night reporting that an intoxicated man on a sit-on-top kayak had overturned in the New River near the I-64 bridge. His friends had not seen him come up after his spill. A hasty search revealed his kayak and life jacket downstream from the point at which he was last seen; further searches of the river and its banks revealed nothing. The search was called off around 10 p.m. because of the darkness and lack of power. It resumed the next morning and continued until 10:30 a.m., when the missing man's friend, standing at the incident command post, got a call from him. He was found wandering around a school about 10 miles upstream from where he had gone into the river. He had little recollection of how he got there, and rangers, smelling alcohol on his breath at the debriefing, tested him and found his blood alcohol content to be 0.193. He was cited by West Virginia DNR for boating under the influence of alcohol and by the NPS for creating and maintaining a dangerous condition. Still, for a park that has experienced seven visitor fatalities since March, finding him alive was a happy outcome. In the meantime, park facilities remain without power, as do approximately 60% of park employees. Some have now lost water as well. Appalachian Power is estimating that most power will be restored by this Sunday evening, but some park staff have been told that it will be several weeks before their power can be restored. A sudden thunderstorm last Sunday evening brought down trees previously damaged by the derecho, some in areas that had already been cleared. Recovery efforts will continue for the next several weeks; temperatures are expected to stay in the mid-nineties though the weekend. [Deborah Darden, Deputy Superintendent]
Ranger Justin Cawiezel responded to a 911 report of a car driven into the New River at the Grandview Sandbar just before 2 a.m. on September 13th. The dispatcher also advised that the woman who'd called in the report sounded intoxicated. When Cawiezel arrived, he located the driver of the vehicle, who reported that she had accidentally driven the vehicle into the river and said that she first became aware that she was in the river when she noticed her feet were getting wet. She said that she was able to get out of the vehicle through the open driver's side window. Cawiezel determined that she had been alone when she drove the car in the river; suspecting that the driver was impaired, he performed the standard field sobriety tests and found that she registered a .094 two hours after the accident. The 1991 white Cavalier had floated for some distance before it sank. Assisted by a regional dive team, rangers were able to locate the vehicle about 30 yards downstream from the landing. The vehicle was removed from the river intact without any leakage. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On December 20th, rangers were warned that a possibly suicidal West Virginia man was headed for the 876-foot-high New River Bridge. The man had given his wife $8,000 and a suicide note in which he said that he planned to jump off a bridge. The report said that he was driving a canary yellow Scion. Two rangers monitored bridge access points for about an hour before clearing. Late that afternoon, one of the rangers was driving home when he saw a yellow Scion turning off of West Virginia Route 16 and heading north on US 19 towards the bridge. By the time the ranger was able to turn around he had lost sight of the vehicle. He radioed ahead, and another ranger located the Scion in the Canyon Rim Visitor Center parking lot. Both rangers conducted a hasty search of bridge access points and soon spotted the man climbing over the security fence that blocks access to the bridge catwalk (the catwalk extends the entire length of the bridge under the main deck and was intended for maintenance crew access to the structure's framework). They followed the man onto the catwalk and located him about halfway across the bridge, standing on a six-inch-wide support beam. The rangers approached the distraught man and got within about 10 feet of him before he told them not to come any closer or he would jump. Winds were gusting up to 25 miles per hour and the temperature on the rain slick catwalk was in the upper 20's. The rangers talked to the man for 45 minutes, trying to convince him to come back onto the catwalk and talk. After a while, they were able to get the man talking. Eventually he told them that "this would be easier if you weren't here." They continued talking to him, and he told them, "You are going to go home tonight and have to tell this horrible story to your family." The rangers kept working at persuading him to come back onto the catwalk, and he suddenly did so. The rangers and a Fayette County deputy escorted the man to a waiting ambulance, which took him to a local hospital for a mental health detention. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers responded on Wednesday morning to a 911 call regarding a man who had possibly been electrocuted while attempting to steal copper power lines. The incident occurred on Beury Mountain, a remote area of the park in the southeast corner of Fayette County that is accessible by a single dirt road. By chance, a field training ranger and a trainee ranger were on patrol in that area when the incident occurred. Three other rangers responded from the nearby historic town of Thurmond. The FTR and the trainee ranger arrived on scene first within eight minutes of the initial call. They were flagged down by a man who told them that he and another man had been shooting copper power lines down with a .22 rifle. He told rangers that the injured man had grabbed a loose power line to pull it down and it had struck a live wire. The injured man was lying within the area of downed wires and was unresponsive during attempts to communicate with him. Appalachian Power Company was soon on scene and confirmed power was off to the wires around the unresponsive man. EMS personnel evaluated him and determined that he'd died. Rangers detained the other man and during the investigation determined that the incident had occurred on private property outside the park boundary. The man was turned over to Fayette County deputies. Rangers assisted Fayette County detectives, local EMS, the medical examiner's office, and Appalachian Power throughout the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. The surviving man was charged by Fayette County with attempt to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit a felony, and disruption of a public utility, which is also a felony. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers were dispatched to a structural fire in the historic town of Thurmond last Friday. The NPS owns numerous historic properties in the town. Three engines responded from Oak Hill and Mount Hope Fire Departments and quickly controlled the fire in the Vivian Kelly house, a building that was stabilized by the park several years ago. Investigation revealed that a locust tree weakened by rainfall fell on a power line, causing the power pole to snap. The upper part of the pole and the wires fell onto the house, starting a small fire in the attic wall space. Some damage was caused by venting during fire suppression efforts, but the building otherwise suffered little damage. There were no injuries. The power company isolated the downed section and replaced the pole on Saturday. The quick response by local fire departments to this remote location is credited with saving the house as well as several surrounding structures. [Jeffrey West, Chief Ranger]
On the evening of Friday, May 10th, rangers responded to a 911 report of vandalism and theft at the Army Camp Campground near Prince, West Virginia. The activities were witnessed and then reported by campers. Rangers were within two miles of Army Camp when the call came in, working an assistance call regarding a vehicle that was broken down on a blind curve near the Prince Bridge. Although the thieves were gone by the time rangers cleared the call and arrived at Army Camp, quick coordinated action resulted in four suspects being spotted and stopped. The picnic table was recovered and taken back to Army Camp. The four were charged with theft and driver's license violations. Drug paraphernalia was found in the vehicle. All four had criminal histories, and one was wanted on a non-extraditable warrant out of North Carolina. The vehicle was inventoried and towed. [Jeffrey West, Chief Ranger]
On Monday afternoon, an unidentified homeless woman was walking along the CSX mainline railroad tracks in New River Gorge National River when she was struck by a freight train and killed. The initial investigation revealed that she had her head covered by a blanket during a heavy rain storm as she walked along the tracks. Engineers sounded horns on the train and attempted to brake, but she did not react in time to avoid being struck by a portion of the lead locomotive. Rangers are working to identify the woman and are conducting a joint investigation into the accident with CSX detectives. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers responded to a report of an injured, unconscious rafter near Double Z Rapid last Saturday afternoon. Six people in a private party flipped a raft while going through the rapids and one was knocked unconscious. The trip leader radioed rangers and began treating the 51-year-old victim. Rangers and personnel from Nuttall VFD and General Ambulance responded. The man was packaged and carried to the CSX rail grade, where he was transferred to the fire department's specially-equipped UTV. CSX railroad was contacted and notified of the situation; they stopped train traffic in the area to avoid delaying the evacuation. The injured man was taken to an ambulance and then to a helicopter that flew him to a level one trauma center in Charleston, where he was treated for a severe concussion. It is believed that his helmet prevented a more permanent injury. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of Monday, May 27th, a 37-year-old woman riding an ATV had an accident on the Woods Ferry Road in Gauley River National Recreation Area. Although the ATV came to rest near the top of the steep slope, she continued down the hill for about 250 feet. A park visitor noticed the ATV and got out to investigate when he heard the victim yelling for help. He called 911 and Nuttall Volunteer Fire Department personnel and rangers responded to the remote location. The VFD arrived on scene first and began stabilizing the woman; rangers assisted with the scree evacuation. She was stabilized and transported by ambulance to a waiting medical helicopter with a head injury, broken ribs, a broken arm, and internal injuries. Air Evac flew her to a Level 1 trauma center in Charleston, West Virginia. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Tuesday, June 18th, a commercial raft entered Double Z Rapids on the New River; almost immediately, several people fell out of the raft. Raft guides with Adventures on the Gorge were able to extract most of the swimmers from the water, but a 42-year-old man from Ohio went through several of the associated rapids on this run before guides could get to him and was unresponsive when rescued. A river guide with Adventures on the Gorge and a park visitor began CPR. They were able to revive the man, who was then transported by a CSX high railer to the Cole Lot near Fayette Station. Rangers guided a Jan-Care ambulance into the transfer area. The man was stabilized and transported to Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill, where he was admitted and was in stable condition. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A 46-year-old Indiana woman bicycling on the Clovis Branch of the Arrowhead trail system on June 30th collided with a tree and suffered injuries to her upper back and neck. She was stabilized on scene by rangers and local emergency service personnel, carried out about a mile to a waiting ambulance for transport, transferred to a medevac helicopter, and flown to Charleston Area Medical Center for evaluation. She suffered a fractured vertebra and two fractured ribs but is expected to make a full recovery. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Monday, July 15th, a 115-car coal train partially derailed near the Sandstone Visitor Center. Thirteen cars rolled off the track in a residential area at Meadow Creek, dumping several thousand tons of coal. There were no injuries. Although the area is fully within the boundaries of New River Gorge National River, only a small portion of park-owned land was affected. The CSX main line was closed for about 12 hours for repairs, but the cleanup and removal of the debris will take several days. The park incident management team is currently activated for operations related to the Boy Scouts of America's National Jamboree, and it handled the NPS response to the incident. The cleanup is being monitored by park staff; the derailment is under investigation by CSX. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Saturday, July 27th, rangers and the Fayette County Sherriff's Office deputies responded to the Army Camp Campground to search for a missing 16-year-old boy who'd last been seen by his parents around 11 p.m. and who was found to be missing at 3:30 a.m. The boy left a note saying that he was going to walk into the river and drown himself. Two sheriff's office dog teams searched the campground area while rangers conducted hasty searches on the river and the main roads in the area. A local media alert was also put out, and the missing juvenile was entered into NCIC. Investigators with the park and ISB worked another angle, looking into the possibility that the boy had run away. After several hours of forensics work on his computer and several hours running down leads from Facebook contacts, it was discovered that he had made several phone calls from the Beckley area around 9 a.m., well after his disappearance. The Beckley Police Department and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office were notified and provided with photographs. Rangers and deputies visited a residence in Raleigh County from where the missing juvenile had made a phone call and determined that the cell phone number he was using once belonged to one of the residents. The boy was picked up by police in Pulaski, Virginia, around 8:30 p.m. His parents went to Pulaski and picked him up. A follow-up investigation is underway. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Wednesday, September 4th, a 53-year-old woman stopped her car on the New River Gorge Bridge, pulled a stepstool out of the car, and placed it next to the bridge rail. Several drivers stopped to try and talk to the woman as she climbed the stepstool and perched on the edge of the bridge, but she did not respond and jumped, falling 876 feet to her death. Rangers, Fayette County deputies, and Fayettville fire and EMS personnel responded to the area. It took about 40 minutes to locate the woman's body in the rugged terrain below the bridge. A short raising system was used for the recovery. The incident is under joint investigation by the NPS and the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the night of Friday, September 13th, a ranger patrolling the Thurmond area, where recent thefts and vandalism have occurred, came upon a man sitting by himself on a concrete wall near Thurmond Depot. Since there was no car around, the ranger contacted the man to find out what was going on; the man replied that he'd been in an argument with his girlfriend and said that he was cooling off. A vehicle with three of the man's friends inside pulled up as he was talking with the ranger. When they saw the ranger, the driver and one of the passengers switched places. When the ranger began investigating to determine why they'd switched places, the first man became belligerent and began to interfere. The ranger called for backup and three rangers responded from different areas of the park. The ranger on scene, now out with all four men, ordered the belligerent man to sit back down so he could continue his investigation. The man began to approach the ranger, so the ranger drew his taser and ordered him to sit down once again. Although the man sat down, he told the ranger that he had his taser out to avoid "being whipped." Shortly, thereafter, he stood up, raised his hands, and began approaching the ranger again. He told the ranger he would have to tase him. The ranger repeatedly ordered him to stop, but the man ignored him and was accordingly tased. He remained on the ground until backup arrived and was then taken into custody for interfering with agency functions and refusing to obey a lawful order. None of the three men in the vehicle had a valid driver's license, so the vehicle was towed. The driver received a citation for driving without a license and all three were transported by rangers back to their residence. Alcohol use was documented. The first man was taken to a federal magistrate on Monday morning for his initial appearance. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers responded to a call reporting a climber fall in the popular Endless Wall climbing area on Monday afternoon. The accident occurred on a wall known as Star Trek, located along Fern Buttress near Fern Creek. The area is popular with novice climbers and has several established routes rated between 5.6 and 5.11. The climber, who was from Vienna, West Virginia, rappelled off the end of his rope and fell about 35 feet, sustaining lower limb and back injuries in the fall. Rangers and personnel from Fayette County Rope Rescue, Fayetteville Fire Department, Ansted Fire Department, General Ambulance, and Health Net Air Ambulance responded to assist in the mile-plus carryout over rough terrain. The injured climber was then medevaced by Health Net to the Charleston Area Medical Center. The incident is under investigation by the NPS. The climber is expected to make a full recovery. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
G.A., 36, of Pax, West Virginia, drowned on Monday, November 25th, after falling out of his canoe into the New River during a hunting trip. He was not wearing a life jacket. G.A. was with his two teenage stepsons when his canoe overturned in the Class 2 Meadow Creek Rapids shortly before 5 p.m. G.A. swam after the canoe while one of the stepsons helped the other, who could not swim, to shore. He then swam back out into the river and retrieved G.A. and pulled him to shore. G.A. was unresponsive, so his stepsons began CPR. Another hunter, hearing calls for help, arrived and assisted the boys. Rescuers were summoned; responding were rangers, Green Sulphur VFD personnel, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources police officers, and local EMS and CSX railroad personnel. Both stepsons were transported to a local hospital and treated for hypothermia. Rangers recovered the canoe and personal belongings, including hunting firearms, the following day in the middle of a winter storm that brought heavy rain to the park. The accident happened on the opening day of the state buck deer firearms season. The park is open to hunting and rangers handled a number of hunting-related incidents that day, including this one. Ranger CW Mitchem was IC. [Frank Sellers, Acting Chief Ranger]
In June of 2012, rangers, local fire and EMS personnel, and Fayette County deputies responded to a report of a single car accident on McKendree Road. First responders found the car on its top, over an embankment and off the roadway, with two people trapped inside. Rangers assisted Oak Hill VFD and local EMS with the extrication and evacuation of the driver and passenger. Shortly after being extricated from the car, the passenger, a 17-year-old boy, was pronounced dead at the scene. The young woman who was driving was flown by medevac helicopter to Charleston. Rangers led the investigation throughout the rest of the night and met with members of the boy's family and the state medical examiner's office at the hospital. Over the next several months, the case was investigated and ultimately presented to the US Attorney's Office. On August 26th, the woman appeared in federal court and pled guilty to 18 USC § 13, a federal regulation that assimilates state laws, and the West Virginia state regulation for negligent homicide (DUI). On December 9th, the woman appeared in court, apologized to the family for her actions, and was sentenced by the judge to the maximum penalty of 12 months incarceration followed by 12 months of supervised release. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On Tuesday, February 25th, a 58-year-old man crossed into the oncoming lane of Gatewood Road in Fayette County and hit a utility company truck. He then fled the scene and drove into New River Gorge National River, where he abandoned his badly damaged truck in the driveway of a park neighbor. The man continued on foot and headed into the extensive trail system around Fayetteville. The park neighbor dialed 911 to report the wrecked truck; this was relayed by a 911 operator to NPS rangers and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. Rangers began working the trail system and monitoring roads between the last known location and the suspect's house. They intercepted the man near the New River Gorge Bridge and turned him over to the sheriff's office without further incident. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
After attending a recent search and rescue training session, two New River Gorge rangers stopped for lunch at a local restaurant in Beckley, West Virginia. While eating, they heard a woman screaming for help and went to investigate. The rangers saw a man running from the rear of the restaurant, coming from where they had heard the screams for help. As he ran through the restaurant, the rangers saw other people chasing him and yelling that he had just attacked a woman in the bathroom. The rangers stepped into the path of the man, took control of the situation, and detained him. They also checked on the victim's welfare. Beckley PD and EMS were both contacted. Beckley PD officers quickly arrived and took control of the scene while EMS personnel treated the woman. The man was found to be a ward of the state and mentally ill. His counselor was with him in the restaurant at the time, but had lost track of the man. The rangers completed lunch without further interruptions. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers recently responded to a call at McCreery Boat Ramp regarding a large water truck that slid into the river. Upon arrival, they found that the truck, a 2,000-gallon water tanker, was completely submerged in about 25 feet of water. River rangers responded and quickly tied a rope to the truck to help stabilize it in the eddy. Rangers contacted District 5 divers to assist with the recovery. Divers responded and set safety while a Fayette County diver on the team attached the cable from Glen's Wrecker Service to the truck, which was then pulled from the water. The water around the vehicle was monitored to determine if any fuel had spilled from the truck. None had. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers responded to a report of an overturned boat and a missing boater near the Glade Creek river launch on Thursday, May 8th. The reporting party, who had been a passenger in the boat, was located across the river from the ramp - he was cold but in good condition. The boat operator was located a short distance downstream on the shore. The men, although only separated by about 100 yards, could not hear or see each other because of the bend in the river and the roar of the rapid. They had launched that morning for a fishing trip and were attempting to run a john boat up Glade Creek shoals when the boat swamped and capsized. Both men were wearing their life jackets and made it to shore uninjured. River rangers arrived with a boat, ran across the river, and picked the men up. After the fishermen were safely deposited at the landing, rangers went back out to unpin the john boat and recover some of their lost fishing gear. A ranger had talked to the men about life jackets while fishing the week before. During the debriefing after this incident, they told rangers that they recalled the conversation just before they put in and decided to wear their life jackets. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A hiker was just about to head out on the Long Point Trail when she noticed someone throwing pieces of paper from a vehicle at the trailhead parking area. When she walked up to the car to talk to them about litter, she found that the papers were notes asking for someone to call 911. She made the call and rangers, Fayette County Sheriff's Office deputies, and EMS personnel responded. They found an unconscious woman behind the wheel, a dazed man in the passenger seat, and three kids ranging from age three to eight in the backseat. One of them had been composing the notes. Rangers performed EMS on the woman until paramedics arrived and took over patient care. Synthetic drugs were found in the car. The woman was transported to the hospital, the man was transported to jail for public intoxication, and the three kids were turned over to child protective services. Charges for the adults are pending further investigation. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers and a Fayette County deputy responded to a construction site at the Prince Bridge to investigate a report that a man was stealing metal from the site. The bridge, which spans New River, is being replaced. The suspect, who had left the remote area by the time rangers arrived, was found at a local recycling facility. His vehicle was loaded with metal parts that he admitted to having taken from the construction site. The construction superintendent was notified and came to the recycling facility, where he identified the metal as property of his company. The items were photographed and released. Due to the high value of many of the items and with the concurrence of the local assistant United States attorney, the case will be presented to a grand jury. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Early last Saturday morning, Fayette County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of a vehicle parked on the New River Gorge Bridge. As they approached the vehicle, a woman leaped from the 876-foot-high bridge. Rangers were notified and began search operations. Search teams working their way along the river banks located the woman's body in the river within an hour. She was extricated from the water and taken by NPS patrol boat to the Fayette Station boat launch. The NPS and Fayette County Sheriff's office are investigating the incident. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
A park maintenance heavy equipment operator was driving a service truck in a remote part of the park yesterday afternoon when it rolled over while he was descending a steep section of road that was muddy from recent rains. The employee was able to radio for help. NPS rangers and a maintenance supervisor began responding to the remote location just after 2 p.m. The injured man's partner was able to quickly locate him and rendered aid until other units arrived. Responding rangers called for local EMS and rescue units to respond as well. The emergency medical evaluation indicated a back injury. He was stabilized in a HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendrick_Extrication_Device" KED, placed on a backboard, and carried up the steep hill in a Stokes basket. He was then transferred to a waiting ambulance, taken to a Health Net Life Flight helicopter, and flown to a Level 1 trauma center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he is currently being evaluated. The injured man is in good spirits and being well cared for. The family was notified prior to air evacuation and the injured man's wife and a close family friend drove to the hospital. At the time of the report yesterday evening, an NPS maintenance supervisor was on scene at the hospital with the injured man; another NPS maintenance supervisor was driving to Charleston with OWCP paperwork. The F-250 service truck is a total loss. There was a 40 to 45 gallon off-road diesel spill and a one gallon anti-freeze spill. Resource management personnel were notified and responded; the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection was also notified. A spill kit was deployed for initial stabilization of the spill. During the cleanup operation, a heavy rainstorm passed through the area. Rangers are investigating the accident. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
During the evening hours on Monday, June 26th, two juveniles broke into the Camp Brookside facility in New River Gorge National River. They did some exterior damage to the caretakers cottage and vandalized a security camera. The pair approached the camera with stealth, correctly estimating the degree of area it was recording, and remained outside the picture. One of the vandals hoisted his companion up to access the camera. As it was being ripped from the mount, the camera recorded a picture of one of the vandals before the signal was lost. Rangers downloaded the photograph from the recorder. The image went up on the Hinton, West Virginia, police department's Facebook page and was broadcast the next evening during the crime stoppers portion of the local news. Rangers were contacted the following day with information on the suspects. The juveniles were interviewed in the presence of their guardians by investigating rangers and confessed to the crime. Both young men were issued mandatory appearance citations for vandalism. Camp Brookside, located on the east bank of the New River between I-64 and Hinton, was once a summer camp sponsored by Union Carbide, later Elkem Metals. Beginning in the late 1940's and continuing through the 1970's, hundreds of local children spent part of their summer vacations at the camp. New River Gorge National River is developing an educational/research center at the historic children's summer camp. It will serve K-12, university students, and life-long learners, with an emphasis on school-based programming and natural and cultural resources research. The center will provide for research and educational opportunities organized around the park's mission, park themes and research needs. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Karl Keach received a tip about possible ginseng poaching in the area of Claypool Hollow while conducting a vehicle stop on September 4th. Keach located the unoccupied suspect vehicle and set up surveillance along the two possible exit routes with Ranger Mark Faherty. Hours later, the rangers conducted a stop on the vehicle and, after issuing a warning for an equipment violation, received consent to search the car. During the search, they found marijuana paraphernalia, an unloaded revolver and 148 ginseng roots, which weighed just over one pound. Local buyers are currently paying up to $600 for a pound of ginseng. After thoroughly documenting the evidence, the rangers worked with the park's resource management staff to have the ginseng replanted. Three suspects in the vehicle were identified and charges are pending. The park's GIS specialist and a Student Conservation Association summer intern have created a computer model and map identifying high-probability ginseng locations throughout the park in order to aid in the detection and apprehension of ginseng poachers. Though illegal within NPS boundaries, West Virginia has a legal ginseng harvest season which runs from September 1st through November 30th. Ironically, just days after this incident, the park permits office received a request from producers of History Channel's "Appalachian Outlaws", a television series showcasing ginseng harvesting in southern West Virginia, both legal and illegal. The show wanted to film inside the park. The permit request was denied but the show's popularity is anticipated to have an impact on park resources. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
During the period from September 13th through September 21st, rangers made five new illegal ginseng harvesting cases. Nearly 600 roots were confiscated and most of them have since been replanted by the park's resource management team, using habitat assessment maps to find suitable locations for replanting. A total of 13 people are being charged in these cases. Rangers have been working diligently within the local communities to gather information on ginseng poaching and identify possible suspects and suspect vehicles. A new public information campaign is currently under development, given the recent spike in illegal ginseng activity. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
On Friday, September 19th, rangers responded to a 911 call concerning a woman threatening suicide and believed to be on a park trail near the town of Fayetteville. Family members revealed that the woman had a state concealed weapons permit and was known to carry a handgun. A team of three rangers conducted a search of the trail network and soon found the woman seated near a small bridge in a low lying area. Rangers first established a tactical observation point and moved in and made contact after assessing the situation. A handgun was found in the woman's purse and was secured. The rangers determined she had ingested a large quantity of sleeping pills and convinced her to walk with them out to the trailhead. Once there, they were met by an ambulance crew and the woman was transported to a local hospital as an overdose patient. Ranger Nate Freier is the case ranger. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
Rangers Nate Freier and Eric Oaks were on foot in the area of Fayette Station around 10 p.m. on September 26th when they heard a CSX railroad car derailment as it occurred directly across from them on the New River. Investigation revealed that two sealed cars carrying soybeans had derailed and separated from the rest of the train. The two cars rolled down the steep embankment and came to rest along the shore and partially in the river. No fuel or hazardous materials were spilled and there were no injuries. Most of the standing trees between the railroad tracks and the river's edge were uprooted and leveled. A small number of soybeans ended up in the river. Cleanup is expected to last at least a week and will involve removing the soybeans and then cutting the two damaged cars into pieces for removal. [Chuck Noll, Law Enforcement Specialist]
A rock climber from Ohio was climbing the New River Gunks route in the Junkyard area, a 5.7 sport route supported by a top bolt, when he lost his grip, fell from 12 to 14 feet, landed in the sitting position, then fell backwards and hit his head. Fellow climbers reported that the injured man used an old cam device someone had left on the route. No one knew where the old device came from or how long it had been there. The climber clipped into the device about ten feet above the ground and continued to climb up the route. He then lost his grip and fell. The cable attached to the device broke and failed to arrest his fall. Rangers, an ambulance crew, and local first responders were dispatched to the accident after fellow climbers called it into the Fayette County 911 center. Rangers determined that the man had a possible broken wrist, back injury, and a minor head injury. He was not wearing a helmet. Rangers, climbers, and first responders carried him out in a litter. Two low angle belays were set to support the team as they carried him out the steep trail to a waiting ambulance. He was transported to Raleigh General Hospital for further evaluation and treatment. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the morning of Monday, November 10th, rangers were dispatched to the New River Gorge Bridge to check on a possible suicidal man. The Fayette County 911 center had received a call from a man who claimed to be on the bridge and said that he was about to jump. Rangers responded along with several first responders and officers from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office and the West Virginia State Police. Trained NPS and sheriff's office negotiators took turns talking to the man, who was perched on crossbeams under the bridge deck. They worked with the man from the service walkway under the bridge, 876 feet above the New River. A tactical team backed up the negotiating team from a discrete distance. Other rangers and state troopers found the man's vehicle. Inside were pill bottles, a suicide note, and an HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airsoft_gun" airsoft gun with the orange ring carefully blacked out, which made it look like a real weapon. Negotiators were advised of the pill bottles and the airsoft gun. The man admitted to taking the pills and was getting lethargic. After three hours of negotiations, he agreed to be rescued. Since he was perched rather precariously at the intersection of several beams 30 feet from the catwalk, rescuers decided to come in from above. The southbound traffic lanes of the bridge were shut down and the man was rescued from the support area underneath the bridge by the Fayette County High Angle Rescue Team. When the man was searched, a BB pistol was located in his waistband - this also looked like a live firearm. The man was from Virginia and was apparently a veteran having difficulties. He was transported to a local medical center and later transferred to a Veterans Affairs hospital for further evaluation and treatment. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Just after 7:30 pm last Sunday evening, rangers received a report that a 13-year-old boy had fallen approximately 50 feet from the rock cliffs at the end of the Long Point trail. Several local fire departments from Fayette County, the Fayette County Rope Rescue Team, local EMS, and rangers responded. While the initial response was underway, rescuers received an update that the brother of the first falling victim, age 19, had fallen about 100 feet in the same area and was also injured. Fire department members and the Fayette County Rope Rescue Team reached the 13-year-old brother first and found him to be conscious but with pelvic, back, and ankle pain. He was extracted by a technical litter raise system. The team provided emergency care and lifted him to the cliff top. He was then carried out by litter to the trailhead, where he was airlifted by helicopter to a local hospital. Meanwhile, rescuers searched for the 19-year-old brother. Ranger Mark Faherty found him several hundred yards away from the first incident site. He was able to stand and walk and was walked out by rescue personnel down to the Kaymoor Trail and out to a waiting ambulance at Fayette Station Road. Both brothers are reported to be in stable condition and are at Charleston Area Medical Center. The preliminary investigation indicates that the younger brother fell from the cliffs and landed at the bottom. The older brother then himself fell while trying to reach the younger. Rangers Mark Faherty, Nate Freier, and FTEP ranger/ trainee Ron Babus responded from the NPS. [Frank Sellers, Acting Chief Ranger]
A 24-year-old Ohio man leapt from the New River Gorge bridge to his death around 8 p.m. last Tuesday evening. Several witnesses saw him sitting on the bridge railing, and then noticed he had disappeared. He fell approximately 200 feet on the north side of the bridge. His body was recovered near a bridge piling in steep terrain; his car was found in a local business parking lot. West Virginia State Police, Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Fayetteville Police Department officers, Fayetteville Fire Department and Jan Care Ambulance personnel, and New River Gorge rangers worked the scene. Fayette County Sheriff's Office detectives and rangers are conducting an investigation into circumstances surrounding the incident. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Mark Faherty conducted a traffic stop near Dun Glen on the evening of June 6th for an equipment violation. He discovered that the vehicle was also unregistered and uninsured. The driver and passenger told Faherty that they were digging HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_root" bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) to earn money to fix their vehicle and said that the roots were selling for about $7 a pound. They turned over 359 roots, which weighed about five pounds, and their digging tools. Faherty issued mandatory appearance citations to the violators. He also contacted members of the resource management division, who replanted the bloodroot in the general vicinity it had been harvested. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Rangers were advised of a falling accident at Beauty Mountain on Tuesday morning. The interagency response team consisted of rangers, VFD members, and local EMS. Due to the nature of the call, an aeromedical helicopter from Air Evac launched and staged at Burnwood Ranger Station. Rescuers quickly established contact with the injured man, began caring for him, and planned his evacuation. The Fayette County Rope Rescue Team and rangers rigged a technical rope rescue system and brought him to the cliff top via a litter raise. He was carried out to an ambulance and was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The preliminary investigation indicates that he fell from the cliff while down climbing without a rope or climbing gear in order to retrieve his cell phone, which he'd dropped over the cliff the previous evening. Late that afternoon, the 911 center advised rangers that a woman had gone over Sandstone Falls on the New River. Park staff responded to the Sandstone Falls visitor use area, while additional rangers responded to Sandstone landing with an NPS patrol boat. The woman and two male friends were spotted on a rock below the falls, and the NPS patrol boat was guided to the location. All three were transported to the shore and evaluated for injuries. The woman suffered minor head injuries, but refused treatment; she was transported to a hospital for follow-up by her friends. Hinton VFD and WV Department of Natural Resources officers assisted with the rescue. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the evening of the Fourth of July, rangers patrolled through the community of Thayer, one of many unincorporated communities within the boundaries of the park. Thayer is located in a remote section of the park in Fayette County, West Virginia. Rangers Mark Faherty and Dave Sanders noted numerous small crowds of revelers moving about the community and decided to stay in the area. Fayette County 911 center's call board lit up suddenly with multiple simultaneous reports of fighting, assaults, and shots being fired. One report indicated that an individual had shot at a van as it attempted to run him over in front of a private residence. The rangers were so close that they were able to secure the scene, separate the involved parties, and begin victim and witness interviews within minutes of the initial call. The rangers' investigation revealed that all those involved were related. The rangers were told that a fight broke out when family members intervened in a domestic dispute involving a 29-year-old man who had pulled a machete on his girlfriend and pushed his 13-year-old nephew. After a brief altercation between the machete man and the juvenile's father, the man ran to his van and accelerated towards the father and son as well as numerous others in the road. The van struck one man, knocking him down a hillside, before the juvenile's father, truly irritated at this point, fired multiple rounds from a .38 special revolver at the van. No one was injured by the gunfire. The driver was then pulled from the van by his own father and beaten with a stick before the driver was able to escape the ire of his father. The driver of the van ran into the woods and called 911 for help. He got it. In addition to Rangers Faherty and Sanders, Rangers Greg Adkins and Harry Perkowski, West Virginia state troopers, Fayette County sheriff's deputies, and EMS were soon on scene. The driver of the van was taken into custody by the state police and faces multiple charges, likely including attempted vehicular homicide. The investigation is ongoing. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 19th, three mountain bikers headed upriver from Cunard on the South Side Junction Trail. The weather was hot and sunny, and humidity was running around sixty percent. Several miles in, one of the bikers began experiencing leg cramps. He stopped and got off his bike to walk around and ease his cramp when he suddenly passed out. His biking companions used their water to try and cool him down. They attempted to have him drink water, but he refused, so they decided to call 911 for assistance. Oak Hill Fire Department, Fayetteville Fire Department, Jan Care EMS and rangers responded to the call for help. Rescuers accessed the patient via the South Side Junction Trail from the Brooklyn campground. UTVs were used for the first several miles; responders then hiked the rest of the way. Paramedics treated the man for heat-related conditions and the he was evacuated by foot and UTV to the awaiting ambulance. He was expected to make a full recovery. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
Search and rescue personnel located the body of 28-year-old A.B. around 6 pm last Friday night. National Park Service rangers, personnel from West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, and trained volunteer search and rescue divers from the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department's dive team had been searching for A.B. since Thursday afternoon, when he disappeared while swimming in the river. A.B. had been swimming with three friends in the pools above Fayette Station rapids on August 24th when they decided to swim through the rapids and gather on the other side. Although A.B.'s companions made it to shore, he was seen struggling and then disappeared under the water at approximately 4:45 pm. None of the swimmers were wearing life jackets. Search crews responded immediately. After nothing was turned up on Thursday evening, search operations resumed Friday morning. Strong undercurrents, deep eddys, murky water, and a very rocky, boulder-strewn river bottom made for difficult search conditions. After a long day of searching, a volunteer diver found A.B.'s body securely lodged under a large boulder about 18 feet below the river's surface and very close to the point where he was last seen by witnesses. This was the second drowning in the park in two weeks; neither victim was wearing a life jacket. Source: News release, New River Gorge NR.
Search crews have found the body of G.G., 56, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near the Diamond Point area of New River Gorge National River. The cause of death remains under investigation. G.G. told family members he was planning to hike in or around the park on Friday afternoon. When he failed to return by the weekend, the park was notified. Rangers worked with West Virginia State Police to locate G.G. After his truck was found at the Fern Creek trailhead inside the park late on Monday night, search operations were concentrated on the trails and cliffs of that area. Other agencies involved in the search included the Fayette County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit, Fayette County Vertical Rescue Team, Fayetteville Fire Department, and Jan-Care Ambulance Service. Source: New River Gorge NR news release.
A CSX train derailed in the McKendree area of the park on Monday morning. One engine and 10 empty gondola cars left the tracks. Two engineers riding in the engine, which ended up on its side, were uninjured and were able to climb out and report the derailment. The engine came to a rest on the bank of the New River, which after recent rainfall was running high and flowing swiftly. While there was initial concern that the engine's diesel fuel might have spilled into the water, a CSX HAZMAT team and representatives of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection were able to confirm that none of the nearly 5,000 gallons of fuel had leaked. The train, a total of 97 empty cars and two engines, was traveling west to Hutchinson to load up with coal when it derailed. The accident is believed to have been caused by a rockslide across the tracks. Source: Beckley Register-Herald.
The body of 49-year-old T.B. was recovered from the New River on the morning of Monday, June 25th. T.B. drowned while trying to save a child who was struggling to swim the evening before. The accident occurred at Fayette Station, a popular area for rafting companies and for people to have parties and picnics. Several children were swimming in the river with life jackets while other members of their family were preparing a picnic. When the children were called to come out of the water, one child didn't respond and appeared to be in distress. Several adults went into the water to help. While doing so, T.B. disappeared under the water. He was not wearing a life jacket. Park crews searched for him through the night but without luck. Several agencies assisted in the search and the investigation — Fayetteville Fire, Ansted Fire, Nuttall Fire, Oak Hill Fire, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, and Jan-Care Ambulance Service. Source: WSAZ News.
J.W., 43, who faked a fatal fall from Grandview overlook last May 31st, has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison on federal health care changes. Extra time was added to her term for obstructing and impeding the administration of justice. J.W. and her husband, R.W., 48, made international news when their teenage son reported that his mom had disappeared at Grandview Ledges at New River Gorge while searching for a lost earring. This report led to an extensive multi-agency search by state, federal and local authorities, assisted by numerous volunteers. West Virginia State Police found Julie at her own home in Beaver on June 2nd, hiding in a downstairs closet. The couple staged the elaborate hoax so that J.W. could avoid a prison sentence she'd recently received. She had pleaded guilty in February to submitting fraudulent applications to the Veterans Affairs Spina Bifida Health Care Benefits Program, which she overbilled for providing spina bifida care for her now-deceased younger sister. J.W. was also ordered to pay $289,055.07 in restitution, an amount that was calculated by the Veterans Administration. Source: Jessica Farrish, Register-Herald.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. New River Gorge NR — A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging J.W., 44, and her husband R.W., 48, with conspiracy to obstruct justice. The indictment alleges that, while awaiting sentencing for a federal health care fraud conviction, J.W. conspired with her husband R.W. and others known to the grand jury to obstruct justice by falsely reporting her fall from Grandview Park overlook in New River Gorge NR. According to the indictment, R.W. and a known person falsely reported her fall to the National Park Service, prompting an emergency 911 call. A massive search and rescue operation ensued. Source: WWVA News.
On July 31, cameras captured three people breaking into a National Historic Building in the park. The park is seeking any information the public may have about the individuals or incident. Source: WVNS
On September 12, a rock climber fell 50 feet near the Butcher Branch trail. Law enforcement rangers responded. The NPS did not release further details, only reminding the public to make sure they have the appropriate skills and gear to participate in outdoor activities. Source: WOAY
On November 30, a fire broke out in a steep and rugged area of Beauty Mountain. The Headhouse Trail, Kenney's Creek Rail Trail, Endless Wall Trail, and Nuttalburg area were closed. Nuttallburg Headhouse was found to be unharmed in the blaze. As of December 6, the fire was 100% contained at 132 acres. The cause is still under investigation. Source: WCHS, WV Metro News, The Register-Herald
On June 14, a group of NPS staff were conducting trail maintenance on the Southside Trail when one of them heard a dog yelping in the distance. After work, the employee and two other staff returned to the area to try to locate the dog. They found it stuck on a rock inside a small crevasse. They were able to retrieve the dog safely and gave it food and water. The owner's contact information was on the dog's collar and the owner was notified and reunited with the dog. The owner said the dog had been missing for over a week. Source: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Facebook page
On November 9, a fire started on a private inholding inside the park at Teays Landing. Temporary evacuations were put in place for the Wild Rock area, and residents were able to safely return on November 11. As of November 14, the fire was about 200 acres and 90% contained, with no structures damaged. The response included crews from the NPS and local departments, as well as the West Virginia National Guard. Source: WSAZ, lootpress, WVNS
On March 8, a train pulling empty coal cars hit a landslide covering the track and derailed along the New River downstream from Sandstone Falls on property adjacent to the park. Four of the locomotives and nine empty coal cars jumped the track. One locomotive caught fire. Diesel fuel and oil were spilled. There were three crew members aboard; they were all taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The West Virginia Departments of Environmental Protection, Health and Human Resources, and Homeland Security and Emergency Management were involved in the response. Other train service was canceled through that area, including Amtrak service on the Cardinal Line. As of March 10, the train owner had removed all 22 cars and four locomotives from the tracks, and repairs were underway. Crews also removed the landslide from the tracks. As of March 10, two of the three crew members had been released from the hospital. The NPS, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection were involved in efforts to excavate and remove soil or rock that came into contact with diesel fuel and replace it with clean material. The amount of fuel and oil spilled is unknown. Mitigation efforts will continue until the area is fully restored. Source: MetroNews (3/8, 3/11)
The week of September 4, two rafters died while rafting the Gauley River. One individual's body was recovered quickly, but high water delayed the recovery of the other. On September 19, the NPS announced that they had recovered a body from the river, but could not yet confirm whether it was the other individual from this incident. Source: WVVA, WTRF
On November 6, the Steep Valley Fire was spotted about a mile south of Prince, West Virginia, across the river from Grandview. As of November 11, the fire had grown to 1,946 acres acres and was 50% contained. The War Ridge Campground and access road are currently closed. Source: National Parks Traveler, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
As of November 20, the Steep Valley Fire was 100% contained at 2,206 acres. A personal drone temporarily grounded helicopters involved in dropping water on the fire during the incident. On November 21, the closed section of the park reopened, but park officials have warned visitors to exhibit caution due to weakened hazard trees. Source: MetroNews, Inciweb, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
On May 26, a storm downed many trees and took out power in several parts of the park. The park was able to restore power to all areas by May 29. Source: WVNS | |