NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, March 12, 1999

INCIDENTS

98-476 - Great Smoky Mountains (NC/TN) - Follow-up: Assault on Rangers

On the afternoon of August 2, 1998, rangers received a report of a vehicle
being driven in an aggressive manner, with the driver making obscene gestures
at other motorists.  Ranger Helen McNutt soon spotted the vehicle traveling
north on Newfound Gap Road.  It pulled into Alum Cave parking area, and
McNutt followed, parking behind the vehicle with blue lights activated. 
McNutt approached the vehicle and determined that the occupants were H.V.
and P.V.  The V.s denied that they had either alcohol or weapons
in the vehicle, but McNutt detected the odor of alcoholic beverages in the
vehicle and on H.V., who was found to have a revoked driver's
license.  H.V., who is 6'3" and weighs about 250 pounds, was verbally
aggressive, refused to follow instructions, and refused to perform field
sobriety tests.  McNutt arrested him, handcuffed him behind his back, and
with some difficulty placed him in the rear of her caged patrol unit.  Ranger
Gary Kubin arrived on the scene at this time.  As the two rangers approached
the V. vehicle to check for alcohol and weapons, H.V. kicked the
rear passenger window out of the patrol car.  When Kubin attempted to secure
H.V.'s seatbelt by reaching through the broken window, H.V. bit him on
his right arm.  H.V. continued to be unruly, so McNutt sprayed him with
OC-10, a pepper spray.  H.V. calmed down and was removed from the patrol
car so that the rangers could check on the effects of the OC-10.  H.V.
bolted and attempted to flee.  After running around the parking area and
across the road, H.V. fell into a roadside ditch; although he continued to
struggle and kick, Kubin and McNutt were able to regain control of him.  Two
park visitors came to the rangers' assistance and leg chains were put on
H.V.  During the struggle, McNutt injured her hand.  The V. vehicle
was searched and a loaded .22 semi-automatic pistol was found in the front
passenger area.  P.V. was taken into custody and charged with
possession of a loaded weapon.  H.V. remained belligerent while at
the jail and refused the intoximeter test.  He was charged with DUI, refusal
to submit to an alcohol test, driving on a revoked license, and possession of
a weapon, and was subsequently indicted on two counts of assault on a federal
officer (18 USC 111(1)(b) and 1114).  The case went to trial on March 9th. 
After a day and a half of testimony and four hours of deliberation, the jury
returned a verdict of guilty on the charges of felony assault on a federal
officer and misdemeanor assault.   The judge rendered a guilty verdict for
the four petty offense charges.  Charges against P.V. were dismissed.
Sentencing will be held on May 6th.  [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM, 3/11]

99-81 - Big Bend NP (TX) - Resource Violation Conviction

On March 3rd, an extended investigation into resource violations in the park
concluded when D.B. of Frederick, Wisconsin, pled guilty in magistrate's
court to charges of possession of a loaded weapon and disturbing/possessing
natural features (minerals).  D.B. had been the center of an investigation
into the theft of archeological artifacts and minerals from the park since
1995.  Information led investigators to believe that D.B. had been coming to
the Big Bend area for ten to twenty years to collect such items.  Five of his
associates have been convicted on similar charges in recent years.  D.B.
moved to the Tucson area not long ago, and returned to the park for a two-day
collection trip on December 28th.  Ranger Lorant Veress found D.B. and his
wife collecting items in the Sierra Aguja area.  They were stopped by
district ranger Cary Brown as they were leaving the park and agreed to a
consent search of their vehicle and possessions.  Brown found eight pounds of
agate and a loaded pistol in a backpack that D.B. had been carrying.  The
magistrate accepted D.B.'s guilty plea and sentenced him to a $100 fine on
the weapons charge and a $500 fine on the disturbing natural resources
charge.  He was also banned for life from entering either Big Bend NP or
Saguaro NP.  Assistance in this investigation came from criminal
investigators Phil Young and Dan Wirth, Phillip Clous of the Geological
Resources Division, and ranger Steve Spanyer from Great Smoky Mountains NP. 
[Bill Wright, CR, BIBE, 3/9]

99-82 - Minute Man NHP (MA) - Suicide

The body of N.D., 42, was found in her car at the east end of
the Battle Road unit of the park on March 10th.  A rifle was found in the car
and indications are that her death was a suicide.  Lexington police had
called the park earlier that afternoon and advised rangers to be on the
lookout for a woman with a history of despondency who had called the police
by cell phone to say she was in the woods and was going to commit suicide. 
Lexington officers and state police troopers were searching numerous wooded
areas in town and asked rangers to check park property.  Ranger Eric Barron
soon spotted the vehicle on a side road and notified Lexington and state
police.  The apparent suicide occurred prior to the arrival of emergency
personnel.  [Dan Dattilio, CR, MIMA, 3/11]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

Glen Canyon NRA (UT/AZ) - Tamarisk Removal

The park conducted a successful exotic plant control operation during the
period from March 2nd to the 6th.  The park's ten-person tamarisk crew
traveled to Coyote Gulch, a remote and scenic side canyon of the Escalanate
River, with the objective of removing the exotic trees.  Planning and support
were provided by the park's resource management division; area rangers,
resource management staff and BLM staff from nearby areas helped the crew
with removal of the tamarisks.  Chainsaws were used to cut the plants at
ground level.  The resulting stumps were then sprayed with a herbicide/
penetrating oil mixture, a technique with proven effectiveness. 
Approximately two miles of the canyon were cleared of tamarisk during this
operation.  The entire ten-mile stretch of Coyote Gulch within the park's
boundaries is now clear of all concentrated areas of tamarisk.  A follow-up
project scheduled for next year will target upstream areas under BLM
jurisdiction.  [Tom Haberle, Botanist/Exotics Control Coordinator, GLCA, 3/8]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Facility Management Update - Planning for the proposed Servicewide facility
management program and a new facility management software system continues to
move forward.  A new briefing statement on the project appeared on the
maintenance bulletin board on Wednesday, March 10th.  There's also a list of
questions and answers about the project.  On Monday, March 8th, the regions
received a request to provide participants on a technical review committee to
narrow the field of candidate software.  Regions are also providing
candidates to establish a final selection committee.  These committees will
be working from March through early May to complete the software selection
process.  Final adjustments to the technical specifications for the software
will be completed next week.  NPS representatives are working     with the
Department of Interior MMS workgroup to provide information and to coordinate
efforts on this project with other interested DOI bureaus.  For more
information, please send a message to the NPS facility management plan
mailbox on cc:Mail.  [Rick Shireman, Project Manager]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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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