NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, March 12, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-91 - Golden Gate NRA (California) - Homicide Conviction, Sentencing

On March 6, 1995, Park Police sergeant Bob Jansing observed a vehicle with
expired plates near the gate to lower Ft. Mason.  The driver was unable to
produce a license; during the subsequent field interview, Jansing came to
believe that he was lying about his identity and took him into custody
without incident.  Jansing then found the man' wallet, which contained his
real name, S.R.  A second wants/warrants check revealed that S.R.
was wanted for the robbery and murder of a grocery store manager in Yorba
Linda, California, and for shooting an unarmed security guard at another
grocery store in Orange, California.  S.R. had vowed that he would not to be
taken alive, and had been featured on "America's Most Wanted" in November,
1994.  In a search incident to arrest, Jansing found a large weapons cache in
the vehicle, including a .380 semi-auto pistol with a laser sight (used in
the murder), a sawed-off rifle, an AR-15 with a laser scope, and a grenade
launcher with a bandelier of twelve grenades.  Jansing also found a kevlar
lined helmet and vest.  S.R., who was a Los Angeles county deputy from 1967
to 1973, had previously been arrested for a bank robbery and shooting a
police officer and was sentenced to state prison.  He was shot and wounded
during an escape attempt in the 1980's.  Paroled in 1993, S.R. conducted a
series of grocery store robberies until stopped by Jansing.  Sergeant Jansing
was called to testify against S.R. in Orange County Superior Court on several
occasions.  The prosecution was successful, resulting in a conviction for
homicide with special circumstances.  On February 28th, S.R. was sentenced to
death for the murder.  [Lt. Kevin Hay, USPP, GOGA, 3/7]

97-92 - Big Bend NP (Texas) - Search and Rescue

R.P., 71, and L.P., 56, were reported overdue from a day hike
on the Marufa Vega trail on the evening of March 7th.  The P.s are
volunteers at the park, but were unfamiliar with the area.  The trail is an
18-mile-long loop and is a difficult trail to finish in one day, as it is in
steep and rugged terrain and is hard to follow.  Temperatures at the time
were in the mid-80s.  A hasty team was sent out that night, but was unable to
locate the couple.  A full-scale search was begun on Saturday, with district
ranger Gus Martinez as IC.  Border Patrol and Customs helicopters (the latter
with infra-red detection capability) were employed, and a dog team was
ordered.  About 35 people, mostly from the park, were committed to the
search.  A ground search team consisting of trail crew members Tim Onstott
and Shelly Lane found the P.s on Sunday.  They were off the trail and on a
ledge on the canyon rim above the Rio Grande.  Both were suffering from
severe exhaustion and dehydration.  Follow-up interviews revealed that they
had run out of water on Saturday morning after having hiked late into the
evening on Friday.  On Saturday afternoon they were recycling their urine and
beginning to hallucinate, seeing boulders that they believed were canteens or
tents with water and food in them.  They also said that the helicopter flew
over them several times on Saturday; at one point they thought that they had
been spotted, so the stayed on the ledge where they were found.  It is
important to note that they were found by ground searchers who were able to
point out their exact location, even though they made every effort to attract
the helicopters's attention.  This is due in part to the fact that they were 
wearing light colored clothing, which is appropriate in a desert environment
but not conducive to being spotted from the air.  [Gus Martinez, DR, East
District, BIBE, 3/11]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

GPRA Update - The interim NPS mission statement and long-term goals for FY
1997-2002 have been posted on the WASO strategic planning bulletin board. 
The goals are interim because the NPS has not received final concurrence from
OMB.  Deputy Director Galvin agreed that it is important for parks and
programs to have the interim goals to work with in developing their strategic
plans, which are due by the end of this fiscal year.  Please check the
posting for the complete set of interim goals.  If you do not have access to
the bulletin board, contact your cc:Mail hub coordinator.  [Strategic
Planning Division, WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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