Park News August 8,2008

Catoctin Mountain Park

Missing hiker Barbara Freund, 81 of Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania, was found by a Mid-Atlantic Search and Rescue air scent dog team at approximately midnight on August 6th in Owens Creek near Route 550 east of Thurmont, Maryland. Despite being lost for 34 hours and suffering minor mobility impairments, Freund was conscious and responsive at the time she was located about a quarter mile from her last known location.  She was transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where she is in stable condition. Over 100 searchers from Catoctin Mountain Park and six other national parks, five volunteer SAR organizations, and teams from Maryland State Police, Maryland Natural Resources Police and Maryland State Park Service were committed during the 34-hour-long search for Freund. Search efforts were hampered by extremely steep and rocky terrain with dense vegetation.

 

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Ranger Rich Eshenaur was nearly hit head-on by a motorist speeding through the park on the afternoon of August 3rd. A short pursuit ensued that ended when the driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the woods. When Eshenaur arrived at the crash scene, he saw a passenger in the vehicle climbing out the driver’s window. The passenger physically resisted arrest, but was safely taken into custody after Eshenaur employed his taser. After seeing the taser used on his friend, the other passenger in the vehicle placed his hands on the headliner and said that he would be cooperative. Prior to Eshenaur’s arrival, the driver of the vehicle fled into the surrounding woods. A multi-agency search was conducted, but he was not found. The first passenger was charged with resisting law enforcement and being a minor in possession of alcohol. A warrant was issued for the driver.

 

Gateway National Recreation Area

A 37-year-old fisherman with a history of diabetes collapsed in the surf at the isolated and unguarded Area F beach in the park’s Sandy Hook Unit on Saturday, August 2nd. An unidentified visitor and a recently-retired police officer rescued him from the surf, checked for vitals, and performed CPR on him for approximately five minutes until pulse and breathing returned. The man also sustained a significant cut to his left arm when he passed out; once revived, his rescuers provided first aid to stop the bleeding. NPS lifeguards, EMTs and rangers responded to a 911 call reporting the incident. The EMT’s took over patient care. He was then taken to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, where he’s expected to make a full recovery thanks to the efforts of his rescuers and park lifeguards and EMTs.

 

Yellowstone National Park

On July 9th, Christopher Perez was sentenced in federal district court following his conviction for being a fugitive in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 153 days in federal custody, followed by five months of home confinement and the balance of 24 months of supervised release. A second count of entering a vehicle with intent to commit burglary was dismissed pursuant to a plea agreement. On August 26, 2007, rangers arrested Perez for public intoxication and suspected auto burglary (for a copy of the original report, click on the link below). The arrest led to the discovery of evidence of a burglary of Observation Peak cabin and the service of two search warrants. Perez was then convicted in magistrate’s court and sentenced to 60 days in jail. The on-going investigation subsequently revealed that Perez had a firearm and ammunition in his possession within the park while an active fugitive from another jurisdiction. A felony arrest warrant was then posted and a manhunt conducted for Perez, who was eventually arrested by US marshals in New Mexico. In March, Perez filed a motion to suppress the evidence in the firearms case, which was denied after a hearing in federal district court. Ranger Justin Ivary, then detailed into a special agent’s position, was the case agent. The investigation and eventual convictions involved several hundred hours of work on the part of Yellowstone rangers and special agents, deputy US marshals, and the United States' Attorney's Offices in Wyoming and New Mexico.


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