NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Thursday, October 29, 2009
NOTICE
There was no Morning Report on Wednesday, October 28th - not for technical reasons but because your editor was ailing. Regular publication resumes today.
INCIDENTS
Golden Gate NRA
Hostel Guest Arrested For Sexual Assault, Identity Theft
On the morning of Friday, October 23rd, USPP officer Stephen Smith responded to the Fort Mason Youth Hostel to investigate a report of a stolen credit card that had just been discovered by a guest there. When Smith arrived, he interviewed the victim about the theft, and in the process also learned that he'd been sexually assaulted by another guest while sleeping earlier that morning in one of the hostel's bunkhouses. The assault had been witnessed by a third person, who was a friend of the victim. The officer was provided with a description of the assailant. While this interview was underway, yet another hostel guest approached him and reported that his credit cards had also been stolen and used at several local businesses in San Francisco earlier that day. Smith asked hostel managers to contact him when the man returned, which they did. Smith then returned and talked to the man, who the victim and witness confirmed had been the assailant. Evidence also showed that he'd used the credit cards. An NCIC check revealed that there was a “no bail,” extraditable felony warrant out against him for identity theft in New York. He was arrested. Further investigation revealed that he'd been traveling throughout Northern California and may have been involved in similar thefts in Sacramento. Detectives in USPP's San Francisco Criminal Branch are pursuing the investigation. Detective/sergeant Robert Jansing contacted the Assistant U.S. Attorney's Office, and the man was subsequently cited for sexual battery in the hostel incident. The AUSA will follow-up with New York officials on their charges and will also pursue additional identity theft changes in federal court for the hostel thefts. [Lt. Constance A. Leonard, Commander, Operations]
Mojave NP
Former Seasonal Sentenced To Prison For Child Pornography
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation the January before last when a member of T.M.'s family found child pornography on their computer. The SBI investigation revealed that T.M. had previously owned the computer, but that his whereabouts were now unknown. With assistance from NPS special agents, Mojave NP ranger and US Postal Service inspectors, they found T.M. working as a seasonal maintenance employee at Mojave NP. During an interview with an NPS agent and a San Bernadino County detective in July of that year, T.M. admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography in his RV. He was arrested and extradited to North Carolina. After obtaining a search warrant, agents from the NPS Investigation Services Branch conducted a forensic examination of T.M.'s digital media. The examination revealed over 120,000 images and 600 movies of suspected child pornography. Approximately 80 GB of data were submitted to the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children. Two weeks ago, T.M. pled guilty in North Carolina superior court to second degree possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve 42 to 51 months in the North Carolina Department of Corrections. [Les Seago, Special Agent]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Port Chicago Naval Magazine NM - The National Park System has gained a new park - Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial in Concord, California. With President Obama's signing of the Defense Authorization Act, Port Chicago yesterday became the 392nd unit of a system.
Environmental Quality Division - Conflict is an element of complexity often woven into some of the National Park Service's most important management decisions. Understanding the principles and processes of Environmental Conflict Resolution (ECR) is critical to managing conflict early and effectively.
To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter): NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index ; non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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