NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

BLACKBERRY EDITION

Thursday, December 15, 2005

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INCIDENTS

Mount Rushmore NM

Multiple Felony and Warrant Arrests

On the afternoon of December 12th, rangers made contact with the occupants of a 1973 Dodge van that was parked illegally in a restricted parking area behind the Xanterra concession building. This contact eventually resulted in the arrest of three people from out of state and the transfer of two children to the custody of South Dakota Social Services personnel. A 34-year-old man, reportedly the father of the two children, was arrested on a felony warrant out of California and will be extradited. The man, who was 6'2” in height and weighed 305 pounds (as verified by a hospital scale), actively resisted arrest, was subdued through the use of a taser, and was subsequently charged with resisting arrest and interfering with agency function. He has an extensive prior criminal history. The man's 32-year-old brother was arrested for possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia; he also has a long criminal history and is the subject of a felony warrant from California. The U.S. Attorney's Office is currently discussing extradition with California authorities. A 32-year-old woman, the wife of the first man and the mother of the two children, was arrested on multiple charges, including possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a loaded firearm (a Smith and Wesson .38 model 36), trespassing, and no proof of vehicle insurance. She, too, has a past criminal history. The two children are sisters, ages five and six. Following the arrests of all of the adults in the party, the children were transferred to the custody of Social Services. Field testing of the drugs and drug residue was positive for both marijuana and amphetamines. Discovered during the search of the vehicle were a handwritten recipe for the manufacture of methamphetamines, some of the ingredients for manufacturing methamphetamines, approximately 10 drug pipes, other drug paraphernalia, two apparently counterfeit five dollar bills, a variety of knives, a spiked ball and chain weapon, and a homemade, hooked, machete-like weapon. Initial court appearances for the three adults were set for yesterday. Rangers are working closely with the US Attorney's Office in the investigation and prosecution of the charges. [Mike Pflaum, Chief Ranger]

Golden Gate NRA

ARPA Charges Filed Against Four Vandals

A park maintenance worker contacted dispatch on the afternoon of December 12th and reported that he'd seen four men spray painting graffiti on the masonry of Battery East, a coastal military fortification constructed in 1870. A ranger assigned to a homeland security bridge patrol and Park Police officers responded. One of the four men saw the ranger approach, dropped his paint can, and fled on foot. He was later apprehended by the park maintenance employee and held until the ranger arrived. The other three men also fled and attempted to make their way back to their car, but were stopped by Park Police officers. All four were taken into custody and their vehicle was impounded and searched. During the inventory search, officers seized six to eight cans of spray paint and spray nozzles. One member of the group had also videotaped another in the process of spray painting the wall; that video tape was seized. One of the four, a 20-year-old college student from San Francisco, claimed responsibility for the vandalism. The park's historian has estimated the damage at $6,000. Since the building falls under the criteria for ARPA protection, the U.S. Attorney's Office was contacted. All four will be charged with ARPA violations, interfering with agency functions, and possession of controlled substances. Rangers and detectives from the park police are continuing the investigation. (Kim Coast, Operations Supervisor)

JOBS

Everglades NP

GS-025-11/12 District Ranger

Everglades National Park is re-advertising the vacancy announcement for a GS-025-11/12 district ranger for its Northeast District in order to increase the applicant pool. The announcement is currently open on USAJOBS and closes on January 13th. For a copy of the announcement, click on “More Information” below.

This is a challenging position that will provide maximum exposure to many politically sensitive and controversial issues for those looking to build an impressive resume. The district ranger manages two subdistricts and oversees visitor protection, search and rescue, emergency medical services, wildland and structural fire, resources management, and a busy fee collection operation.

In addition, the district ranger serves as the chief ranger's representative on a wide variety of issues, including long-term planning and GMP development for the district, tribal government liaison, concessions management, research permitting and wilderness issues, on-going land acquisition and wetlands restoration, large scale exotics removal and resource management and T&E issues. She/he also works with many special interest and user groups, often under difficult circumstances. The district ranger is a primary park representative at community events and public meetings.

One of the subdistricts, the East Everglades, is a new land addition of 109,000 acres that includes an urban interface zone in a predominantly Spanish-speaking area of Miami-Dade County. The area experiences a high incident rate of illegal dumping, arson fires, poaching, and Clean Water Act violations. There is the potential to be involved in many complex interagency investigations. This area is also experiencing the conversion of several large airboat tour operations into park concessions. And there is the opportunity to work with several agencies involved in the restoration of the Everglades.

If you would like more information about this challenging position please call acting chief ranger Bonnie Foist at (305) 242-7739 or Pine Island district ranger Allen Etheridge at (305) 242-7787.

HYPERLINK "http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=33200998&AVSDM=2005%2D12%2D02+00%3A01%3A00&Logo=0&q=Northeast+District+Ranger,+Everglades+&FedEmp=Y&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=92&SUBMIT1.y=15" http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=33200998&AVSDM=2005%2D12%2D02+00%3A01%3A00&Logo=0&q=Northeast+District+Ranger,+Everglades+&FedEmp=Y&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedPub=Y&SUBMIT1.x=92&SUBMIT1.y=15

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Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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