NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Thursday, October 24, 2013
INCIDENTS
Hot Springs NP
Drug Dealer Sentenced To 15 Year Prison Term
Around midnight on March 8th, rangers attempted to stop a car that was being driven carelessly, but the operator continued on for some distance before stopping. A check of the plate revealed that the driver's license had been suspended.
As the rangers approached it, they saw the driver, N.T. of Hot Springs, suddenly put an item into the car's center console. After he got out of the car in compliance with the rangers' instructions, he locked the vehicle with his remote. When the rangers told him to give them the remote, N.T. took a defensive position and refused to comply. The rangers wrestled him down and took the remote from him. When asked why he was resisting the rangers, he replied that he had a gun inside the car.
During the ensuing search of the vehicle, the rangers found a loaded .38 handgun, a vial of white powder, two baggies of unidentified pills, one baggie of crystallized substance, and two electronic scales. The crystallized substance was later found to be methamphetamine; the white powder was found to be cocaine. Cash was also seized as evidence during the search.
Rangers also found a hand-written ledger recording drug transactions, some for several thousand dollars. One described a $20,000 transaction.
A pit bull that was in the car was turned over to an animal shelter and the vehicle was impounded.
During the investigation, rangers learned that N.T. was a convicted felon who had outstanding arrest warrants against him. He was charged with several felonies, including possession with intent to deliver drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm while engaged in drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On October 1st, N.T. was found guilty of the charges and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
[John Hughes, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's InsideNPS. To see the full text, 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 Morning Report web page ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/):
Gettysburg NMP - The New Birth of Freedom Council of the Boy Scouts of America partnered with the park and the Gettysburg Foundation to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for central Pennsylvania scouts - a chance to participate in a two-night encampment on the Spangler Farm.
Centennial Office - With only a few days left, the NPS Centennial Call for Ideas is still open to ideas from employees. Submissions are due by October 28th. Details are provided on how to share them with the Centennial Office.
Tuskegee Airmen NHS - On Saturday, August 31st, nearly 200 youth from all over the country were introduced to the theories of flight and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Prince William Forest Park - The park hosted the Washington DC Veterans Administration Medical Center's “Walk for Waffles” event last month. The goal of the event was to engage Washington area veterans in healthy activities in the outdoors.
Jean Lafitte NHP&P - An exhibit entitled "Paseos Por New Orleans" opened at the Ashé Cultural Center in New Orleans on Sunday, September 26th. The poster exhibit will be on view through October 25th.
Southeast Region - Bill Cox, who started his federal career with the NPS before working with the EPA, has returned to serve as superintendent at Chattahoochee River NRA, effective October 21st.
* * * *
The Morning Report is 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).
--- ### ---