NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, March 15, 2013
INCIDENTS
Lake Mead NRA
Man On Federal Probation Arrested For Stealing Tracks
A Nevada man was arrested in 2010 and prosecuted for heading a large scale operation that involved the illegal removal of copper wire from a major electrical service line within Lake Mead NRA. During the original investigation, special agents and rangers executed search warrants which resulted in the recovery of over 300 feet of heavy gauge copper electrical wire. A subsequent damage assessment indicated that the man and his accomplices had completely destroyed the electrical service line. He was ultimately convicted on one count of theft of government property (18 USC § 641) and was sentenced to five years of federal probation and ordered to pay $49,539.81 in restitution to the NPS. Earlier this month, in a blatant violation of his federal probation, the man was arrested for dismantling and stealing a railroad track outside of Jean, Nevada. He admitted that he had planned on selling the metal track parts as scrap for a profit. On March 14th, he was brought before a US District Court judge who revoked his probation and sentenced him to 14 months in prison amidst speculation that his reckless actions could have resulted in a catastrophic train derailment. A federal arrest warrant is still outstanding for a second man associated with the original case. Metal theft continues to be a significant threat to NPS resources in southern Nevada. [Investigative Service Branch - West]
Pea Ridge NMP
Pickup Truck Driver Killed In Collision With Semi
A pickup truck traveling on U.S. Highway 62 through the park on Tuesday morning collided with a semi carrying a load of baby turkeys, resulting in the death of the pickup's driver. The collision was caused by the driver of the pickup crossing into the lane of the approaching semi. The impact ruptured the semi's fuel tank, spilling about 100 gallons of diesel fuel onto the highway. The driver of the semi was not injured but was taken to a local hospital for a full evaluation. The highway was partially closed for four hours while emergency crews cleaned up the fuel from the road. Arkansas State Police investigated the accident. [Matt Fry, Park Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):
Arlington House - The melodic and powerful sounds of hymns and spirituals filled the halls and rooms of Arlington House over four Sundays in February and early March. These events were part of Arlington House's “Faith and Freedom Sundays” program, a celebration of Black History Month with area church choirs.
Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Division - Nine young professionals are helping communities across the country enhance close-to-home conservation and outdoor recreation opportunities through fellowships with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program.
Delaware Water Gap NRA - Delaware Water Gap's high angle rescue team was recently accredited by the Mountain Rescue Association, joining 13 other parks whose teams have already received MRA accreditation, including Denali, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and Mount Rainier.
Denver Service Center - Romeo Magalong, civil engineer technical specialist with Denver Service Center's Transportation Division, will be retiring on April 2nd after more than 41 years of federal service, almost 35 years with the NPS.
Servicewide Training and Conference Calendar - The following have been added to this week's calendar - a wildland fire resource advisor training class at Yosemite, housing management training in Florida, courses in California on trails maintenance and management and on basic carpentry skills, and a training session on preservation and treatment of park cultural resources at Apostle Islands.
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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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