INCIDENTS
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (OH)
Rape Investigation Leads To False Report Confession
On October 18th, a 28-year-old Boston Heights woman was reportedmissing by her live-in boyfriend to the Boston Heights policedepartment. She had apparently been missing for four days.
Later that day, the woman returned home and told Boston Heightsofficers that she had been raped at the Brandy Wine Falls area withinthe park. Ranger Rich Eshenaur and Jeff Stell were called to thehospital to assist in the investigation.
The woman said that she had been abducted by an unknown man at a BPgas station in Boston Heights early on the morning of October 15th, thenbrought to the Brandy Wine Falls area in her own car by the assailant.She said that another man then arrived at the parking lot and assistedthe first man in raping her in the woods off the parking lot. During theinvestigation, a pair of the woman's shoes was found in the trashcan bythe parking lot.
Eshenaur and Boston Heights officers conducted a joint investigationinto the incident. During their investigation, they discovered that thewoman was with another man on the weekend when she claimed she wasabducted and raped. The man admitted that they were indulging in sex,cocaine and alcohol over the weekend at his house.
The woman was brought in for a follow up interview and gave a fullconfession, stating that she'd placed her shoes in the trashcan at thepark and lied about the rape and abduction. She said that she was onlytrying to cover up the affair that she was having. The womanwas charged by Boston Heights PD for providing false information. Sheappeared in court on October 27th, pled guilty, and was fined $500. Nofederal charges were placed against her.[Submitted by Mosie Welch, FieldOperations Supervisor]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
University Credits Now Available To FLETC Students
The National Park Service Law Enforcement Training Center (NPS-LETC) at FLETC has entered into a partnership with Michigan State University's (MSU) School of Criminal Justice.
Beginning with the NPRI 501 training class, MSU will offer NPS students the opportunity to obtain undergraduate and graduate credit hours while attending the basic academy.
On October 25th, representatives from MSU, including departmental chair Dr. Edmund McGarrell, briefed NPRI 501on this opportunity. MSU is currently offering ten undergraduate and six graduate hours to FLETC students. The undergraduate program requires no additional course work outside of the basic academy.
Several students from NPRI 501 have already enrolled in graduate and undergraduate courses. The NPRI Academy is the only academy at FLETC offering such an opportunity.[Submitted by JR Tomasovic, NPS/FLETC]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
J. R. Tomasovic Receives Crystal Owl Award
J.R. Tomasovic received the Crystal Owl award for developing and implementing the Service's Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP) at ceremonies held recently at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Tomasovic is the program manager for both FTEP and the basic law enforcement training program at the NPS office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
Associate Director for Resource and Visitor Protection Karen Taylor-Goodrich presented the award, which is issued by the Servicewide Training and Development Program for outstanding contributions to Servicewide training.
Taylor-Goodrich presented the award before an audience of field training leads and chief park rangers from field training parks, who were gathered at FLETC for updated training on the program. She also read the citation, which follows:
"In order to successfully implement the FTEP program, Mr. Tomasovic had to build a national program where none had previously existed with a fixed deadline. Mr. Tomasovic created criteria for selecting field training parks, field training leads, field training rangers, and made the selection. He involved private contractors with great expertise and staff from other agencies, to develop manuals, procedure and guidance for the training program. With these partners, he developed and implemented a program to train the Field Training Rangers and Leads a program that was highly praised by those in attendance. Through his efforts, housing was found or created in field training parks, and the logistical problems of dispersing rangers into the field for training were resolved. An advanced computer database for collecting training records from remote sites was implemented. When the first trainees arrived at their field training parks, on schedule, the program was fully functional. Minor fine tuning resolved most issues promptly.
"Comments from all involved in the program continue to be highly positive. Trainees are being given experiences and training that few rangers have experienced after several years on the job. The goals for implementing the program have been met."
This is only the second time that the Crystal Owl has been awarded to an individual for law enforcement training.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Scott Ruesch To Retire
Scott Ruesch is the third generationto work for the National Park Service. His grandfather, Walter Ruesch, was hired by Horace Albright in 1916. He and his family combined have over 100 years of work experience for the National Park Service. Scott has dedicated over 33 years to the National Park Service and its mission.
Scott first entered the Park Service as a seasonal laborer at Mt. McKinley National Park in December, 1970; where he continued to work seasonally until October 1974. He transferred to the red rock country of southern Utah at Zion National Park where he worked seasonally as a Motor Vehicle Operator (MVO) through December 1976. It was here that Scott took a career conditional appointment as an MVO. In 1977, Scott received a permanent full time position in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area as a Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic and continued his career there until 1979.
He took a lateral transfer from the sunny desert of Glen Canyon for the often cold climates of Glacier National Park in Montana in April 1979 and was then promoted to Shop Foreman in September, 1980. Scott stayed in Glacier until he transferred to Yosemite National Park in January, 1983, as an Equipment Specialist. In 1984, he became a Facility Manager at Yosemite, where he worked until September, 1987. He then accepted a position as Chief of Maintenance at Coulee Dam National Recreation Area where he worked until January, 1989. From 1989 through the beginning of 1991, Scott worked as the Chief of Maintenance at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. It was at this time, March 1991, when Scott made the final transfer of his career to the wild wilderness, Giant Sequoias and deep canyons of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks as the Chief of Maintenance and Construction.
There will be a retirement dinner held in Scott's honor on Friday, December 3. If you have photos or memories you would like to share please contact Joan Russell at 559-565-3141 ASAP. If you would like to attendplease R.S.V.P. by close of business November 22, by calling Kim Gagliolo at 559-565-3106 or Joan Russell.
[Submitted by Joan Russell, Joan_Russell@nps.gov, 559-556-3141]
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
