NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
INCIDENTS
Independence NHP
Two Men Convicted Of Felony Assaults
On June 25th, two New Jersey men were convicted on felony charges related to a series of assaults that occurred in the park in June 2012.
B.C. and S.C. of Camden, New Jersey, traveled to the park and robbed and assaulted visitors on two separate occasions. The three victims suffered various injuries, ranging from bruises to severe head injuries and facial fractures.
Rangers led the investigation, with assistance from the Department of Justice and the FBI. The complex investigation spanned several months. Both men remain in custody awaiting sentencing.
[Sinclair Rehberg, Park Ranger]
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Body Found At Bottom Of Park Cliff
On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 10th, rangers searching for the driver of an unattended vehicle located the body of a young man at the bottom of a park cliff. The search was begun after rangers noted that the vehicle had been parked on the North Rim overnight.
The body was recovered on July 11th using a Yellowstone National Park helicopter that was staged at Dinosaur National Monument for a possible fire response.
Rangers are working with the Montrose County Sheriff's Office and Montrose County Medical Examiner's Office to determine the facts surrounding the incident.
[Sandra Snell-Dobert, Public Information Officer]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Suicide Victim Found At Parkway Visitor Center
A Virginia man was found slumped over in this car behind the Rocky Knob Visitor Center on July 4th. The building has been closed this season.
Investigating rangers found that the man had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Floyd County Sheriff's had been attempting to locate the man after a note was found at his residence indicating that suicide was a possibility.
[Bobby Miller, Plateau District 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/):
Dry Tortugas NP - The Fourth of July brought an unusual surprise to the staff and visitors at Dry Tortugas National Park - not a spent bottle rocket, but a piece of a European space program rocket that had washed up in the park.
Fort McHenry NM&HS - The volunteers of the Fort McHenry Guard have released a new CD entitled “Fun and Fury” that features performances of popular pieces from the American Civil War.
North Coast and Cascades Science Learning Network - The North Coast and Cascades Science Learning Network has released a new short film, entitled "Keepers of the Beat," that focuses on glaciers and climate change at North Cascade National Park.
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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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