NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, March 30, 2015
INCIDENTS
Hopewell Culture NHP
Man Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor ARPA And Resource Violations
On the night February 22th, a 28-year-old man drove his 2008 Chevy Silverado truck into the middle of Hopewell Mound Group, a 2,000-year-old earthwork, in order to spotlight deer.
The driver entered the earthworks from a trailhead with clearly posted, reflective, “No Motor Vehicles” signs. The vehicle became stuck and the rear tires were dug in as deep as the axle, causing archaeological and natural resource damage. In an attempt to free the vehicle, the driver broke off branches from live trees, placed sand and clothing of his and his occupant (his four-year-old daughter) under the tires in a failed attempt to regain traction.
The vehicle was abandoned and was discovered by NPS maintenance staff the next morning. The truck had to be left yet another night until a four-wheel-drive tow truck came and winched it out with great difficulty.
Ranger Gad, the investigating ranger, had been photographing and documenting several previous incidents of off-road vehicle travel, suspicious broken vehicle glass, and litter within the Hopewell Mound Group. The investigation and follow-up interviews identified the driver as the same person who has been violating numerous 36 CFR regulations over the prior three months.
When confronted with photographs of the tire tracks from both locations and footage from the park surveillance camera, the man confessed to having driven into the field on numerous other occasions within the previous months and admitted that he broke his passenger window one of those times when he stopped in the field and tried to throw a can out of his window, but missed and shattered his window.
Park staff and the AUSA charged the driver, H.L., with a misdemeanor violation of ARPA (16 U.S.C 470 EE (a)) and two 36 CFR violations for destruction of natural resources and littering. Lawhorn plead guilty to all charges and paid $1,000 in fines.
[Rick Perkins, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers):
Centennial and Communications Offices - The Find Your Park public awareness campaign lifts off this week. In preparation for the Service's centennial anniversary in 2016, the campaign will set the stage for the second century of service by connecting with the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates.
San Antonio Missions NHP - Robert Espinosa, park ranger and volunteer coordinator at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, died on Tuesday, March 24th, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Wrangell-St. Elias NP&P - A winter campout experience for local junior high school students, called the "Chosen Frozen," helped to connect the next generation of park stewards with the park.
Office of Communications - The National Park Service has awarded nearly $47 million in historic preservation grants to states, territories and other governmental entities across the county.
Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the Service. This report covers activities in Congress through March 27th.
To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites:
NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/
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).
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