RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Friday, November 15, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-590 - Yosemite (California) - Follow-up on Burglary Arrests
Following their arrest on commercial burglary charges by Modesto police on
October 9th, S.M.W., an escaped prisoner from Arkansas,
and E.B. were implicated in two burglaries in the Stanislaus
National Forest, one burglary and multiple thefts from pipe safes in
Sequoia/Kings Canyon, and ten thefts or attempted thefts from campground
pipe safes in the Mather District of Yosemite. Both E.B. and S.M.W.
have admitted guilt in these cases and are awaiting hearings before a
federal grand jury in Fresno. The two men have been committing thefts
throughout central California and eastern Nevada, and may have committed
similar crimes (with or without accomplices) in the southern Midwest and
West. Their method of burglary has been to either remove the safe from the
building and open it away from the scene or to peel open the safe at the
scene using a pry bar. The method of burglary for the pipe safes has been
to either pull out the safe sleeves or break the interior locking mechanism
with a chain and pry bar. If you have any information on crimes of this
nature, please contact Jeff Sullivan in the Yosemite law enforcement office
for additional information (FTS 448-4245 or 209-372-0245). [Jeff Sullivan,
YOSE, via SEAdog message from Steve Martin, RAD/WRO, 11/7]
91-613 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Search
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]
91-614 - Glen Canyon (Utah/Arizona) - Assault on Concessioner
During the late evening hours of November 5th, ARA Leisure Services
employees M.D., 18, and K.A., 18, got into a fight in a
dormitory at Wahweap. K.A. was beaten into unconsciousness and was
taken to the hospital in Page, where he was treated for lacerations,
bruises and a fractured collar bone. Both M.D. and K.A. were
arrested and have been charged with disorderly conduct and public
intoxication. [CompuServe message from Larry Clark, CR, GLCA, 11/9]
91-615 - Yosemite (California) - Fatality
On November 3rd, a body was spotted from the park's helicopter on a slope
beneath Glacier Point. Recovery efforts were delayed until the following
morning due to time constraints. Rescue personnel rapelled to the site
that day and recovered the body. A tentative identification has been made,
and an investigation into the death is underway. [J.R. Tomasovic, YOSE,
via SEAdog message from Steve Martin, RAD/WRO, 11/7]
91-616 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Criminal Activity
On November 10th, a 59-year-old female from Chino, California, was painting
near the Tunnel Log on the Crescent Meadow Road when she was approached by
two men who took her picture and subsequently offered to send it to her if
she would give them her name and address. She did so, but later felt
uneasy about the incident since she and her husband would not be returning
to their home until the next day. She called her son, who lived in the
area, and asked him to stay at her house and watch it that evening.
Shortly after midnight, power was cut to the house and three subjects
attempted to break in. The woman's son called the police and scared off
the intruders along with some friends before officers arrived at the scene.
The two men who contacted the woman claimed to be construction workers in
the park. They have been described as white males (possibly Hispanic) in
their mid-30's who were dressed in blue flannel shirts and blue jeans. One
was 5'6" tall, clean shaven, and had wiry black hair and an angular face;
the other was 6'0" with a "pasty-white" round face, thick black hair and a
thick black, bushy moustache. Any areas with similar incidents are
requested to contact the park's law enforcement office. [Pete Allen, SEKI,
via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 11/13]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Brady at meeting in Boise, ID (11/12-11/15).
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Bristol at incident meeting, Monterey, CA
(11/14-11/15); Clark at PNR fire management meeting, Vancouver, WA (11/12-
11/14); Norum at natural resources conference, Salt Lake City, UT (11/15-
11/16); Farrel on AL (11/12-11/14); Gale on AL (11/4-11/15).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: All Offices - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO
SEAdog: Branch of R&VP - 1/650
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 1/655