Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Follow-up on Confrontation with Murderer
Additional details have been released regarding the manhunt for and
death of J.P., 27, who was a suspect in the June 4th shooting death
of his former girlfriend, C.N., 22. The FBI, working with
the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office and other state and local law
enforcement agencies, pursued a series of leads that indicated that J.P.
was heading into western North Carolina. They according released a BOLO
(be on the lookout message) to area enforcement agencies, alerting them
about J.P.. The BOLO described J.P.'s vehicle — a dark green 2000
Toyota Four Runner — and provided the license plate number. It also
emphasized that J.P. was reportedly armed with an SKS assault rifle and
described him as armed and extremely dangerous. A ranger approached J.P.
at Newfound Gap, on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, and had a
brief conversation with him at 11:16
p.m.on Monday evening. The ranger then reported that he'd been in
contact with J.P.. Meanwhile, J.P. headed southbound on Newfound Gap
Road (US Route 441). Rangers established two roadblocks — one at
the junction of Newfound Gap Road and Clingmans Dome Road to prevent
J.P. from traveling north into Tennessee and the other, established with
the assistance of Cherokee Police Department, along Newfound Gap Road
around the Collins Creek area, ten miles south of Newfound Gap. Tire
spikes were employed at the latter. J.P. approached this roadblock but
then turned around and began heading northbound on Newfound Gap Road at
a high rate of speed. J.P. fired towards the officers and the gunfire
was returned. Rangers and Cherokee PD officers pursued J.P. for about
four miles, at which point the vehicle's lights disappeared. They
approached using spotlights and were able to confirm that the vehicle
had rolled down a steep, 60-foot embankment before coming to rest in a
creek. J.P.'s body and vehicle were removed from the scene around
3:30 p.m.to allow law enforcement
officials adequate time to conduct a thorough investigation of the
scene. A rifle was recovered at the site. The Swain County medical
examiner was at the scene to collect and gather evidence to help
determine the cause of death. The body has been taken to Chapel Hill,
where the state medical examiner will perform an autopsy that will
determine the cause of death and will also validate the victim's
identity. Said chief ranger Jim Northup: "We are very impressed with and
grateful for the dedication and professionalism of our own rangers and
the Cherokee Police Department officers. We sincerely appreciate the
cooperation of the FBI, who helped locate J.P.'s whereabouts, as well as
helping to document the crime scene. It's hard to overemphasize
the courage and discipline it takes to approach an armed and dangerous
subject in pitch darkness and in the woods. Their willingness to
secure the scene under these conditions is a tribute to their concern
over public safety. A lot of good decisions were made to allow us
to bring this to a conclusion so quickly and without injury to law
enforcement personnel."
[Submitted by Bob Miller, Public
Affairs]
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Firefighters Suppress Blaze in Grant Grove Restaurant
Park dispatch received a 911 call reporting a fire in the kitchen of
the Grant Grove restaurant at 2 a.m.on the
morning of June 6th. When the Grant Grove structural fire brigade
arrived, heavy smoke was emanating from the restaurant's front entrance
and side emergency exit door. After determining the exact location of
the fire and observing the seat of the fire through a side window, the
brigade's entry team was able to quickly attack and extinguish the
flames. The fire's spread was greatly reduced by the lodge's sprinkler
system. Investigators from the California Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection determined that the fire had been started by a hot plate
that had been left on and had eventually ignited combustibles stored
next to it. Damage to the lodge has been placed at $10,000. Jim Gould
was the IC.
[Submitted by Kinsey Shilling, Kings Canyon District
Ranger]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Assault on Rangers
Mammoth Subdistrict rangers were called to a concession dormitory
just before midnight on June 2nd to deal
with an intoxicated underage employee. The rangers cited him and
appeared to have resolved the situation, but park dispatch received a
call 90 minutes later reporting that he was again staggering around the
dorm. The responding ranger found him even more intoxicated and summoned
assistance. While they were en route, the man fled. Although caught by
the ranger, he made numerous efforts to break free and kicked and hit
the ranger. The ranger used his taser to stun him, which proved
effective. Since backup rangers were having trouble finding him, the
ranger attempted to control and handcuff the man. He resisted and again
attempted to flee, so the ranger shocked him once more, this time
disabling him until help arrived. Four rangers and a backboard were
needed to move the man to a patrol vehicle. At Mammoth jail, he again
assaulted the first responding ranger, shoving him into a wall and door
jamb. He remains in custody. Numerous charges have been filed against
him, including several accounts of assault on a federal officer. SA
Chris Fors is the case agent.
[Submitted by Brian Smith, Supervisory
Special Agent]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Rangers Assaulted During Arrest
A Mammoth Subdistrict ranger was flagged down by a man on the evening
of May 23rd and told that he'd been assaulted and injured by another
man. The ranger called for backup, then searched for and found the
reputed assailant seated in a nearby car. The man said that he wouldn't
get out of his vehicle and challenged rangers to try and remove him.
When they did so, he actively resisted, and it took three rangers to get
him cuffed and into a patrol vehicle. During the struggle, he repeatedly
attempted to kick one of the rangers in the groin and made numerous
death threats against them. It took four rangers to get him into a cell
at Mammoth. He was charged with a misdemeanor count of
assaulting/resisting/impeding officers and numerous counts of being
under the influence and disorderly.
[Submitted by Brian Smith,
Supervisory Special Agent]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report Highlights — Wednesday, June 9, 2004
Preparedness Level 1
A total of 141 fires were reported yesterday. Four became large fires — two in the Rockies, one in the Southwest and one in southern California.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Warnings and Watches
RED FLAG WARNINGS have been posted today for strong southwest winds and low humidity in northwest and southern Arizona, and for gusty winds and low relative humidity for the southern two-thirds of Nevada, excluding only Humboldt County, Elko County, and northern Washoe, Lander and Eureka Counties.
FIRE WEATHER WATCHES have been issued today for high winds and low humidity for the Colorado River area and upper deserts, for strong south to southwest winds and low humidity in northern Arizona and the northwest third of New Mexico, and for very low humidity, dry fuels, windy conditions and dry lightning for western and southern Colorado.
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
|
Date |
6/3 |
6/4 |
6/5 |
6/6 |
6/7 |
6/8 |
6/9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crews |
35 |
35 |
31 |
49 |
50 |
74 |
83 |
|
Engines |
71 |
111 |
103 |
141 |
129 |
151 |
181 |
|
Helicopters |
16 |
15 |
12 |
14 |
25 |
31 |
38 |
|
Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
332 |
284 |
347 |
275 |
227 |
337 |
327 |
National/State Team Commitments
Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name. Asterisks indicate state teams.
|
State |
Type |
Team IC |
Fire/Location |
Acres |
Acres |
Percent |
Est Full |
|
CA |
T1 * |
Henson |
Gaviota Fire |
7,030 |
7,100 |
40 |
6/10 |
|
| |||||||
|
NM |
T2 |
Bateman |
Peppin Fire |
50,000 |
51,685 |
80 |
UNK |
|
AZ |
T2 |
On order |
Three Forks Fire |
--- |
3,500 |
30 |
6/10 |
|
CO |
FUM |
On order |
Greasewood Fire |
--- |
2,500 |
N/A |
N/A |
Further Information
This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:
Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
Information on the NPS Fire Management Program Center (FMPC) and on park fires can be found at:
FMPC — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
Noatak National Preserve (AK)
Uvgoon Creek - ref # 0127, A35A (Wildland Fire)
This lightning caused wildland fire ignited after a statewide, Memorial Day weekend lightning bust that totaled 7,876 strikes. (full report)
As of 6/7/04 at 4:30pm fire activity had quieted to 5% on northeast perimeter. Fire remained in a Limited Management Option.
Resources Committed: 8 smokejumpers will demobe today and will provide fire information to the village of Noatak in the late afternoon.[Submitted by Dan Warthin, Dan_Warthin@nps.gov, 907-683-9548]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Operations Training Opportunities
This calendar appears intermittently as an addendum to the Morning Report and a separate entry for InsideNPS. Please note:
- New and revised entries are in bold face.
- Submissions for other training courses should conform to the style used here.
- Please include the URL to the web sites where readers can obtain the requisite forms and/or find out additional information about the training course. If a URL is not specifically listed, the announcement can likely be found on the Learning Place, the NPS training page found at http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc.
- Closing dates for applications are underscored.
**********************************************************************************************
June
June 14 — June 18: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Boise, ID . For more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
June 28 — July 2: Archeological Resources Protection Training (XP-ARPTP-405), Hot Springs, AR. For further information, call Virginia McCleskey at 912-267-5828. Closes shortly — get your nomination in now. [Dennis Burnett, LE&ES/WASO]
July
July 20 — November 13: National Park Ranger Basic Law Enforcement Training (NPRI-407), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on June 16th. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
July 27 — August 12: Law Enforcement Control Tactics Instructor Training (LECTITP-404), FLETC, Glynco, GA. This is an advanced program in which protection rangers are trained in the methodology of psychomotor skills development, defensive tactics, intermediate weapons, OC spray and arrest techniques at the instructor level. Closes on June 17th. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
August
August 11 — December 11: Basic Law Enforcement Training (NPRI-408), FLETC, Glynco, GA. Basic NPS LE training. Closes on July 11th. For more info, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC)
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Catoctin Mountain Park (MD)
Roger Steintl Retiring
After 32 years of service, chief ranger Roger Steintl is retiring. Come and help celebrate his ranger career at the Elks Club of Hagerstown on Wednesday, July 14, 2004.
Elks Club #378 is located at 11063 Robinwood Drive, between Route 64 and Route 40. It is directly across from the Robinwood Medical Center. A social hour will start at 5:30 pmand a cash bar will be available. A buffet dinner featuring salmon and baked ham will follow at 6:45. A special slide presentation and recognition program will commence after dinner.
The price for dinner and a gift contribution is $17.50 per person. Please RSVP by July 6th to Cynthia Wyant (Phone 301-663-9336, E-Mail Cynthia_Wyant@nps.gov) or Andy Ludwig (Phone 301-663-8814, E-Mail Andy_Ludwig@nps.gov). Make checks out to CMPEA. Also, please give notice if you wish to make a presentation or share some thoughts on Roger's career during the recognition program. We hope to make this a night that Roger and Karen will long remember.
Brown V Board Of Education National Historic Site (KS)
Dennis Vasquez To Head Park
Dennis A. Vasquez, program coordinator for the Office of NPS Identity at the Harpers Ferry Center, West Virginia, has been named the new s uperintendent of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Topeka, Kansas. Vasquez replaces Steve Adams, who served in that capacity for the last five years. The new assignment takes effect July 11th.
"Dennis Vasquez' strong communication skills and proven ability to work with a wide variety of constituency groups will be great assets at the Historic Site," said Ernest Quintana, the National Park Service's director for the 13-state Midwest Region. "He is a seasoned manager, has a fine record of building community support for park resources, and understands the importance of engaging all stakeholders" he added.
While serving in Harpers Ferry, Vasquez worked to create and implement a consistent look and quality for a wide variety of NPS communications media and products. He also served as an Assistant to the NPS Director in addressing internal and external communications issues. His strategic guidance will have lasting impact on communications within the National Park Service.
A 27-year veteran of federal service, Vasquez joined the ranks as a park ranger at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico in 1977. His early assignments focused on interpretation and resources management at Yosemite National Park and Joshua Tree National Park in California, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona, and Big Bend National Park in Texas.
He served as the Natural Resources Training Manager for the Horace M. Albright Training Center at the Grand Canyon, Arizona for two years. He landed his first park superintendent's position back at White Sands in 1997.
In 2000, Vasquez went to Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico to deal with management of a distressed park after the Cerro Grande fire, an NPS escaped prescribed fire that burned over 200 homes in the town of Los Alamos, structures on the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and thousands of acres of U.S. Forest Service and tribal lands. He worked to restore park staff morale and to mend relations with the local citizens, community leaders, tribal and other agency officials. While at Bandelier, Vasquez was appointed by President Clinton as Trustee on the Valles Caldera Trust with responsibility for management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve (formerly the Baca Ranch), a wholly owned federal corporation under the management of a nine-member Board of Trustees.
Vasquez said, "It's an honor to be selected as Superintendent of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The site commemorates an expansive and important part of the American story. I look forward to working with all the partners in Topeka and beyond to tell this story and to continue this essential dialogue."
Vasquez studied biological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1983. Since 1992, he has represented the National Park Service on international assignments in Mexico, Panama, and Chile, providing specialized training for managers of protected areas in those countries.
Vasquez has three grown daughters.
The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site was established by Congress on October 26, 1992, to commemorate the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision that ended segregation in public schools. The site, which was dedicated on May 17, 2004, and opened to the public, interprets the integral role of the Brown v. Board of Education case in the civil rights movement.
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.