NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, October 8, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-644 - Whiskeytown NRA (CA) - Follow-up: Alleged Sexual Assault

The victim of the alleged rape that occurred in the park on October 3rd was
arrested last week on unrelated charges of lewd and lascivious behavior. 
Investigators found that she had an extensive criminal history, with one
prior false rape report.  It was also learned that her alleged assailant is a
registered pedophile sex offender.  Investigators took the case to the
district attorney's office on Tuesday.  It appears that the DA will decline
prosecution.  [Larry Carr, CR, WHIS, 10/7]

98-649 - Little River Canyon NRA (AL) - Arrest; Assault on Ranger

On September 27th, ranger Cody Murphy spotted marijuana in a vehicle parked
at Little Falls.  When he contacted the owner, F.R., he found that she
was the same person who had failed to appear in court a week earlier on a
previous charge of marijuana possession.  A warrant had since been issued for
her arrest.  Murphy asked F.R. to accompany him to her vehicle so he could
discuss what he'd seen with her.  She instead became verbally abusive and
refused to cooperate.  Murphy told her F.R. was under arrest; he attempted to
handcuff her, but she pushed him away.  During the altercation, a large and
hostile crowd gathered.  Murphy was able to escort the woman away from the
bystanders and again attempted to handcuff her.  F.R. again resisted, struck
Murphy in the face, and pulled free.  Murphy employed pepper spray, but F.R.
was able to flee.  She was stopped by ranger Jon Newman a short distance away
and arrested.  On September 28th, F.R. was brought before a federal
magistrate and pled guilty to two counts of possession of marijuana and
resisting arrest.  F.R. also had been convicted of possession in the park a
year earlier, making this her third charge.  She was fined $1,045, sentenced
to two days in jail and three years' probation, ordered to participate in a
drug rehabilitation and counseling program, and banned from the park for
three years.  [Dwight Dixon, CR, LIRI, 9/29]

98-650 - Mammoth Cave NP (KY) - Search and Rescue

On the evening of October 1st, rangers received a report that K.S.,
35, was missing after becoming separated from his group in the
Big Woods area of the park.  K.S. was hiking in the area with his
sister and brother-in-law, but went on ahead of them because he was a faster
hiker.  They returned to the car and found he was not there; when he failed
to appear by sunset, they called for help.  Rangers and local rescue squad
members searched for K.S. until midnight.  The search was suspended
at that time, then resumed early the next morning.  At 10:30 a.m.,
K.S. was found on an island in the Green River approximately ten
miles from the point where he'd last been seen.  He said that he'd become
disoriented shortly after leaving the group.  He tried to back track and find
them, but was unsuccessful.  As night approached, K.S. decided to go
downhill toward the Green River.  His plan was to follow the river to the
Green River ferry, which was about eight miles from the point where he
reached the river.  He had difficulty walking on the steep river banks, so
found a log and used it to float downstream.  He floated until becoming tired
and cold (temperatures that night dropped to the mid-40s), then went to shore
and waited until daylight.  He continued floating downriver in the morning,
stopping on an island only two miles from the ferry to try and find something
to eat.  Just as he was preparing to eat a raw mussel that he'd cracked open,
he was spotted by a park employee in a boat on the river.  K.S. was
cold, tired and hungry, but otherwise in good shape.  [Bob Piontek, Acting
CR, MACA, 10/3]

98-651 - Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - Attempted Rape; Assault and Battery

A patrol ranger came upon two men and a woman parked in a two-wheel-drive
vehicle near Ramp 4, a four-wheel-drive beach access ramp, around 9 p.m. on
October 3rd.  Contact revealed nothing unusual about the trio or their
vehicle.  The group later began drinking, and the woman's boyfriend passed
out some time after midnight.  The woman went for a walk along the beach with
the remaining man, who owned the vehicle in which they'd been parked.  He
demanded sex from her; when she refused, he beat her severely.  When the two
returned to the vehicle, the boyfriend confronted the man.  They left the
area, but had driven only a short distance from the ramp when the driver
threw the woman, her boyfriend and their belongings from the vehicle.  The
couple contacted local authorities, who broadcast a description of the man
and his vehicle to surrounding counties.  He was later arrested in Currituck
County.  At least two rapes have occurred at Ramp 4 within the last year;
both are still being investigated by rangers.  There is no evident connection
among these cases.  [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 10/4]

98-652 - Redwood N&SP (CA) - Sexual Assault

On the morning of September 7th, a 19-year-old male was arrested and charged
with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault against a 19-year-old female
who was an acquaintance and co-worker at the California Conservation Corps
(CCC) facility in Requa.  According to the report, the woman was helping the
intoxicated male back to his room when he walked into a wooded area near the
complex.  She said that she followed him into the woods and that he
subsequently raped her.  CCC security learned of the incident when the woman
reported it the next morning and notified county authorities.  The CCC
facility houses over 125 employees and is located on park property near
Klamath.  Rangers are assisting with the investigation.  [Sharon Hutkowski,
PR, Del Norte District, REDW, 10/1]

98-653 - Indiana Dunes NL (IN) - Stolen Property Conviction

On June 23, 1995, A.F., 19, was arrested by rangers for fleeing
after being observed speeding.  A stolen and loaded handgun was found in his
vehicle.  A.F. was issued mandatory citations for possession of a firearm,
failure to have a state permit, and resisting arrest.  He failed to appear in
court, was arrested by U.S. marshals and paid $800 in fines.  A county
prosecutor charged A.F. with a felony for receiving and retaining stolen
property.  The case went to jury trial on September 15th and A.F. was found
guilty.  His defense was that he was so drunk when he waived his rights and
made incriminating statements that the statements should not be used against
him.  His attorney also claimed that the case against A.F. was suspect
because the person who stole the gun had not been identified.  Ranger Rich
Eshenaur and investigator Joe Wieszczyk testified for the government.  This
was the first felony case brought by the park to a local court.  [Richard
Littlefield, CR, INDU, 9/18]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE/INCIDENT ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Tue      Wed    %  Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    10/6     10/7  Con Con
-----      ----             -------------     ---    ----     ----  --- ---
CA   Riverside RU           Edna Cx            T1  32,893   24,645   75 10/9
     San Diego RU           Camino San  
                              Bernardo         --     101      101  100 CND

PR   Roosevelt Roads NB     Hurricane Georges  T1    Distribution center

                                  Heading Notes

Unit        Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
            or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
            district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire        * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex
IMT         T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team; FUT = Interagency
            Fire Use Management Team
% Con       Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con     Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
            containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

CURRENT SITUATION

Moderate initial attack activity was reported yesterday.  

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in California and
Oregon.

No fire weather watches or warnings have been posted for today.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 10/8]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Use of Names in Incident Reports - Persons submitting incident summaries for
the Morning Report should use care regarding the inclusion of names. 
Dissemination of the Morning Report is focused but not controlled.  Although
the primary audience is and will continue to be the employees of the National
Park Service, any reader can pass it on through the Internet to any
acquaintance outside the agency.  From there, it can go literally anywhere. 
This is one of the reasons why the Morning Report is now available on the NPS
web page.  It was posted there in response to FOIA requests, but also in
recognition of the fact that it is already being read by many who are not in
the National Park Service.  Because of this wide distribution, report
submitters should assume that ANYONE may read a report.  Names of juveniles
should not be included, and consideration should be given to the propriety of
including the names of suspects, victims and others if those names are not
already in the public domain through media reporting.  On the other hand, it
may prove useful to include some names.  Several cases have been made in the
past because rangers in one park have read about people cited or arrested for
illegal activities in another area.  If a name is in the public domain and
may prove useful to others, it may be worthwhile to keep it in.  Similarly,
it may be necessary to protect the privacy of rangers and others involved in
investigations or other sensitive incidents.  While it's important to
acknowledge significant or outstanding contributions by employees, it's
equally important that care be taken to safeguard their privacy if that might
be an issue.  The bottom line is that there are no hard and fast rules. 
Generally, a name can be included if it has already appeared in the media, is
not associated with a law enforcement incident, or has been disseminated
through a park press release.  Propriety and sensitivity should be your
guides.  If you decide not to use a name, though, please at least provide
age, gender, and, if appropriate, home city and state.  [Editor]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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