Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Convicted Felon Arrested for Assault on Ranger
Following a high-speed pursuit that took place on December 18th,
convicted felon A.G. was arrested and charged with assault on a
federal officer, evading, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession
of drugs. On that date, rangers learned that A.G. had attempted to sell
drugs to a concession maintenance employee at Echo Bay. A ranger who was
responding to the call located A.G. on Northshore Drive. When backup
arrived, rangers attempted to stop A.G., but he continued to flee. At
one point, he turned his vehicle around and sped past one of the
rangers. A second ranger attempted to block the road, but A.G. hit his
car and continued to flee. A third ranger was able to deploy spike
strips on the road, which deflated one of the tires on A.G.'s vehicle.
He abandoned it and continued on foot into nearby Gypsum Wash. Rangers
continued to pursue A.G. and forced him into hiding. Additional
rangers, special agents and local law enforcement officers arrived on
scene. The park airplane, a Las Vegas Metro helicopter, and canine units
from Boulder City and Henderson Police Departments arrived and searched
the area. A canine, appropriately named "Ranger," alerted on A.G.
approximately one mile down the wash. A.G. had secreted himself in a
narrow shelf covered by bushes. When "Ranger" approached, A.G. kicked
him in the head. "Ranger" responded by latching onto A.G. and pulled
him from the shelf. He was then arrested. The investigation continues;
additional charges are pending.
[Submitted by Mary Hinson, District
Ranger]
Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD)
Sentencing of Man Found Guilty in Fatal Crash
On December 2nd, J.P. was sentenced in county court in
Maryland to five years in prison for homicide while operating under the
influence. The sentence stemmed from a guilty plea to the killing of
J.W., 20, of Severna Park, Maryland, in March, 2002. J.W.
was driving down the parkway when her car became disabled. She parked on
the road's shoulder and employed her cell phone to call AAA for
assistance. While waiting for help to arrive, her vehicle was struck
from the rear by a Nissan Quest van driven by J.P. J.W. was
seriously injured and passed away five months later without ever
regaining consciousness. J.P. fled before Park Police officers
arrived on scene. Investigators were unable to find him until J.W.'s
mother made a televised plea for J.P. to turn himself in. That same
night, J.P.'s mother drove him to the Park Police station in
Greenbelt. J.P. was indicted on a charge of negligent manslaughter by
auto and seven other related offenses last March. He pled guilty to
manslaughter in November. The judge ordered that J.P. serve the
initial 145 days of his sentence — the amount of time J.W. was in
a coma — in a Maryland prison, and scheduled a sentence review for
next April 26th.
[Submitted by Sergeant Scott Fear, US Park
Police]
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ)
Several Border Incidents
Between December 13th and 16th, rangers were involved in five significant incidents along the Mexican border:
- On December 13th, rangers tracked drug smugglers about ten miles across the park's backcountry in a joint operation with BLM rangers and the Service's Intermountain Region SET team. One person was taken into custody and 416 pounds of marijuana were seized.
- On December 14th, rangers working a special operation simultaneously tracked three separate groups of drug smugglers through the park's remote backcountry with three separate tracking teams — again with BLM rangers and members of the Intermountain SET. Arizona ANG and Customs provided air support with helicopters. One of the groups was interdicted; seven backpacks with 334 pounds of marijuana were seized and one person was arrested. The other two groups eluded their pursuers, but a suspected drug scout was arrested who had a radio, extra batteries and night vision equipment in his possession.
- On December 15th, Border Patrol officers and rangers pursued a vehicle northbound on Route 85. The vehicle had entered the visitor center area on the exit road and traveled at high speeds to and through the Twin Peaks campground. About 25 sites in the 200-site campground were occupied at the time. Both of the vehicle's occupants fled and eluded capture. The vehicle was impounded.
- Later that same day, Mexican military authorities advised the Border Patrol near the Papago Farms area on the Tohono O'odham Reservation that they were in pursuit of five vehicles containing contraband and weapons and asked for an increase in U.S. law enforcement personnel on the border in case they headed north. Two of the vehicles would likely enter the park in that eventuality. Organ Pipe rangers and SET members took position on the border. Mexican authorities were notified and vectored in, but the outcome of the chase was not known at the time of the report.
- On the morning of December 16th, three undocumented aliens were found in the park's housing area. They were detained and turned over to the Border Patrol. Two were from Poland.
[Submitted by Bo Stone, Park Ranger]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA)
GS-025-9 Law Enforcement Ranger
The park has an announcement out for a GS-9 ranger position based out of the South Unit of the park (San Francisco and San Mateo counties), but the person selected could also be responsible for coverage in the North Unit (Marin County). The vacancy announcement number is GOGA-03-46 (MPP) and it closes on January 5th. This position is for a permanent, full-time, primary 6c covered law enforcement ranger and is open to current career or career-conditional employees of the Department of the Interior. Duties include traditional ranger duties, law enforcement, EMS, SAR (cliff and water), and wildland firefighting. She/he must possess or be able to obtain a Level 1 full law enforcement commission. The tour of duty includes work on weekends, federal holidays, and rotating shift work with a broad range of patrol hours. No housing is available and San Francisco is a high cost of living area. Interested individuals should contact Aline Forbes, supervisory park ranger, at 415-716-6396.
[Submitted by Aline Forbes]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.