Ronald G.Pointer, 55, a construction contractor with Merlin Stelzer Sales Company, Inc., died after an accident Thursday at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois

Ronald G.Pointer, 55, a construction contractor with Merlin Stelzer Sales Company, Inc., died after an accident Thursday at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois

Metro-east man dies in construction accident at Menard Correctional Center


By Joseph Bustos


August 04, 2018



A 55-year-old Granite City man died in a construction accident, according to reports.

Ronald G. Pointer, a contractor, died after an accident Thursday at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, according to KPLR. The circumstances of the accident were not disclosed, but OSHA is investigating.

Pointer was a concrete cutter for Merlin Stelzer Sales Company, Inc..

“This week has been one of the most difficult weeks in our company’s 60 plus year history,” the company said in a Facebook post. “This week we lost one of our own, Ron Pointer. He was loved by everyone during his 30 plus year career with Merlin Stelzer Services. Ron was a seasoned professional concrete cutter with our services division. Ron was highly respected, loved, and one of the nicest people you could meet. We are all deeply saddened and grieving over this loss. Please keep Ron, his family, friends, and his second family here at Merlin Stelzer in your thoughts and prayers.”

No other injuries were reported at the prison after the accident, KPLR reported.

The Illinois Department of Corrections and Merlin Stelzer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Merlin Stelzer Sales is a family owned construction supply company. We sell every thing any company would need to start or finish a job. We also rent a wide selection of tools, repair tools, and custom or repair forging. Do you need concrete cutting or drilling see our sister company Merlin Stelzer Services website for more information.

In 2017, the number of firefighter suicides (103) outnumbered the 93 firefighters who died in the line of duty. Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression rates among firefighters can be up to five times higher than non-firefighters, leading to more suicides

Peggy Mallen-Walczak sat on the couch in her Egg Harbor Township home Wednesday afternoon, flipping through a binder full of certificates her son, Albert “Albie” Mallen Jr., had earned over his 20 years as an Atlantic City firefighter.

There were certificates for first aid and first-responder training, “but there’s no mental health,” she said.

Albie died June 26, 2017, after he was struck on the tracks of an Atlantic City Rail Line train through Galloway Township. He was 45, and one of 103 firefighters to die by suicide nationally in 2017.

“There should be mandatory, once a year training for suicide prevention,” Mallen-Walczak said, which could explain PTSD, warning signs and include resources for how to get help.

Last year, the number of firefighter suicides outnumbered the 93 firefighters who died in the line of duty, according to the Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders. The study found that post-traumatic stress disorder and depression rates among firefighters can be up to five times higher than non-firefighters, leading to more suicides. In South Jersey, fire departments are working to decrease that number through opening communication, offering counseling services after traumatic incidents and, in Atlantic City, a new training.

Mallen-Walczak blames her son’s death on the state, which took over the Atlantic City Fire Department in April of last year, slashing salaries by 20 percent and changing the work schedule to three 24-hour shifts a week.

“They just destroyed everybody,” she said. “He said to me two or three months before, ‘I’m 45 years old, and I have nothing.’”

Atlantic City Fire Chief Scott Evans said the change in hours and pay has taken its toll on city firefighters, both mentally and financially.

“Not only am I concerned about the stress from being exposed to traumatic incidences, but now my firefighters are being exposed to financial problems,” he said.

But besides scheduling and pay cuts, there are stressors firefighters deal with every day that make the occupation a magnet for anxiety and depression.

Wildwood Fire Chief Daniel Speigel said as soon as a call comes into the firehouse, it’s like “going from zero to 100 in three seconds.”

Firefighters respond to many different types of calls, including assaults, drownings and fires, he said, and as soon as they get to the scene, they’re in charge of organizing the chaos.

Speigel recalled a fire on 17th Street in North Wildwood in which a woman was trapped inside a burning home and her mother was outside, screaming, when firefighters arrived. The woman inside the building died, he said.

“Things like that obviously affect you,” he said. “And we don’t want our firefighters holding on to any type of anguish.”

That anguish and trauma is something Mallen-Walczak knows well, as Albie was a third-generation firefighter.

“You see all the blood and gore, and then you’re supposed to go back to your normal life and pretend it didn’t happen,” she said.

But the culture of the silence inside the firehouse is changing, both Speigel and Evans said.

After a traumatic call, firefighters meet in peer support groups, or a counselor is called in to speak with them.

“The past prestige of being the macho guy and not have feelings is passing,” Speigel said, adding that firefighters are humanizing themselves and realizing that seeing trauma can have a negative effect.

In Atlantic City, the department is rolling out a new program designed to teach firefighters about mental health and how to spot troubling behaviors.

Called the Behavioral Health Peer to Peer Training Program, it is intended to teach Firefighters how to recognize stress from cognitive, emotional, physical and behavioral symptoms, Evans said.

“Before, it was a macho thing not to show the compassion or vulnerability, but it’s being widely accepted now,” Evans said. “I do see a change, but we have a long way to go.”

A firefighter was injured Friday while fighting the 700-acre Miriam Fire burning near White Pass in Washington State

A firefighter was injured Friday while fighting the 700-acre Miriam Fire burning near White Pass. Fire management officials reported that the injured firefighter was airlifted to a local hospital, but further details and his status were unknown Friday evening. The lightning-sparked fire nearly tripled in size Wednesday and Thursday and is zero percent contained. Firefighters said a sustained aerial attack Thursday involving five helicopters and multiple air tankers helped keep the size smaller. The fire was detected Monday 32 miles southwest of Naches in the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area.

With the air drops slowing the spread, “the problem firefighters are facing is that there’s no access roads to get into the area,” said Ken Didion, an off-highway vehicle ranger at the Naches Ranger District. He said wilderness areas typically have steeper terrain, which makes a direct attack more difficult.

As of Friday afternoon, the cost of fighting the Miriam Fire was estimated to be at least $575,000, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. The agency reported that 323 residences and 60 other commercial or residential structures were threatened by the fire.

Didion said no structures have been threatened directly by the fire, and firefighters have been working to establish a fire line along the road to protect them.

While the higher humidity and lower temperatures have helped considerably, a large amount of dry fuels in the area is an issue. The humidity takes a long time to get to the fuels, Didion said.

The fire prompted the evacuation of Camp Dudley, Camp Zarahemla, the Clear Lake Grace Brethren Camp and 25 Forest Service campsites in the Clear Lake area Tuesday. Staff also were evacuated from Camp Prime Time, but no campers were there this week.

The area covered by evacuation orders expanded Friday to surround Rimrock Lake. A Level 3 evacuation order, meaning “go now,” was given Thursday for the area on the north shore of Rimrock Lake, according to the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management.

A Level 2 evacuation order is in place for Silver Creek and cabins at Andy Creek, Boot Jack, Russell Creek, Indian Creek Corral, Bear Creek and Bear Cove, according to the management team. Level 2 means people should be packed and ready to leave in case the fire gets closer.

About 170 responders were on scene Friday, including three 20-person crews, a helicopter, 15 engines and a bulldozer.

Tieton Road was closed to Forest Service Road 1203, according to fire officials. The fire is named for the Miriam Creek Basin, where it is burning.

All 3 crew members and 15 passengers were killed after two UTair helicopters took-off close to each other at the Vankor oil field

Narrative:
Two UTair helicopters took-off close to each other at the Vankor oil field. The first take-off was carried out by the Mi-8AMT helicopter with an external cargo and without passengers on board. The second was performed by Mi-8AMT RA-25640 with passengers (oil workers reportedly employed by Rosneft).

According to preliminary information, after take-off, the passenger Mi-8AMT collided with the external load of the other helicopter, crashed about 2km from the airfield and caught fire. All 3 crew members and 15 passengers were killed.

The crew of the other helicopter dropped the external cargo suspension and landed, the crew of that helicopter were uninjured.

The helicopters' data recorders have been recovered, appear undamaged and will be sent to Moscow for analysis.

Sources:

https://mak-iac.org/en/rassledovaniya/mi-8amt-ra-25640-04-08-2018/
https://www.favt.ru/novosti-novosti/?id=4491
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201610221046606273-siberia-helicopter-crash/
http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/kurmanci/world/04082018
http://www.ntv.ru/novosti/2056004/?sn
http://tass.com/emergencies/1016025
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-helicopter/eighteen-killed-in-russian-helicopter-crash-in-siberia-idUSKBN1KP086?il=0
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/04/russian-helicopter-crash-mi-8-utair-siberia-kills-18-people
https://themoscowtimes.com/news/eighteen-oil-workers-killed-in-helicopter-collision-in-siberia-62441
https://mak-iac.org/en/rassledovaniya/mi-8amt-ra-25640-04-08-2018/

-------------------
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vankor_Field

ate:	04-AUG-2018
Time:	10:20 LT
Type:	Mil Mi-8AMT
Owner/operator:	UTair
Registration:	RA-25640
C/n / msn:	8AMT00643084205U
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 18 / Occupants: 18
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	near Igarka, Turukhansk, Krasnoyarsk region, Siberia -   Russia
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Vankor
Destination airport:	Tarko-Sale

Lawn maintenance worker Syma DiCarlo, 46, died from traumatic asphyxia at the Roxbury Park mobile home community in Goshen, Indiana after her riding mower overturned and pinned her face in the mud

Lawn care worker's death was accidental

AIMEE AMBROSE THE GOSHEN NEWS
Jul 24, 2018





 

GOSHEN, INDIANA — 

An Elkhart woman apparently choked to death during a lawn maintenance job at the Roxbury Park mobile home community in Goshen Monday.

Syma DiCarlo, 46, died from traumatic asphyxia, and the death was an accident, the Elkhart County Coroner reported as preliminary findings following an autopsy Tuesday.

A co-worker found DiCarlo unconscious and not breathing under a riding lawn mower at 357 Marlin Court around 11:30 a.m. Monday, Goshen police said.

Information about what led to DiCarlo’s death was not provided Tuesday. The case remains under investigation.

Depending on the machine, the mower will cut off, from bouncing in seat, hitting bumbs, especially with dryer weather, the ground is harder and immediately, upon lifting off the seat, if the parking brake is disengaged, the mower is designed to "Shut Down" If she was by the pond, hit a rut, or rear tire got into a hole and she was NOT trained properly, this could very well happen easily, on an uneven embankment, especially, without the wheel weights, attached to the machine! Most people, remove or fold down the "Crash Bar" which is designed as a Roll Over Bar!

=====================





GOSHEN, Ind. (WNDU) 

A 46-year-old woman is dead after being found unconscious and not breathing underneath a lawnmower in Goshen.
 
It happened Monday in the 300 block of Marlin Court in Goshen.

Police say her name was Syma DiCarlo of Elkhart, and she owned a lawn mowing company. They say Monday morning, it was a workplace accident that lead to her death.

She was taking care of Roxbury Park's lawn in Goshen, when something happened that lead her to end up underneath of a riding lawnmower.

A co-worker, an Osceola man, came along and found her face-down with her legs hanging out about two feet from under the mower.

It may sound like she got cut up in the mower, but police say the blades of the mower weren't engaged. They say the reason for her death was traumatic asphyxia, which basically means she suffocated from something crushing or pinning her down.

Neighbors in the area spoke to the coworker who found her and they say he was just so shaken from what he saw.

"I says, 'Would you like me to pray for you?'" neighbor Jane Hoover said. "And he says 'Yeah.' So I held his hand and there was blood on his hand. Then the EMT came up and said, 'Is there anything we can do for you?' And he says, 'I tried to push the lawnmower off of her.' And he said, 'You couldn't have pushed that lawnmower off of her. And besides, she was already gone. She was already gone before you got there.'"

Police say the investigation is still open, but they are looking at this as a complete accident.
===========================

Syma DiCarlo

January 10, 1972 - July 23, 2018

Syma "Sue" Marie DiCarlo-Geljack, 46, passed away July 23, in Goshen. 

She was born Jan. 10, 1972, in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. 

Surviving is her husband of more than 30 years, Ken Geljack Jr.; two children, Elizabeth Geljack and Kenny Geljack III; father, Ronnie DiCarlo; mother and stepfather, Sandra DiCarlo and Michael Varady; brother, David DiCarlo; sister, Sabrina DiCarlo; and niece, Kayla DiCarlo. Also surviving are sister-in-law, Kristine Wilder, and in-laws, Kenneth (Katherine) Geljack Sr. 

Syma was a loving mother who enjoyed going to the beach, gardening and most of all spending time with her family.
 

A welder working for Gulf Coast Trawl Doors is dead after an explosion of a gasoline tank on a boat he was working near Kemah, Texas.

A welder working for Gulf Coast Trawl Doors is dead after an explosion on a boat he was working on Monday morning near Kemah, Texas.

The man, 57, was welding a small gas tank on an off-shore boat, which was dry-docked at a business in the 900 block of Lawrence Road, when deputies believe the fumes from the tank ignited, according to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Darrell Isaacks.

The man was rushed to Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival, Isaacks said.

The business where the explosion occurred, Gulf Coast Trawl Doors, specializes in boat welding and fabrication.

You have to make sure the gas tank is empty, buddy.  See you in the next life (if such a thing exists). 

Thomas Epper, 48, was killed removing a Saddle River tree for the Bergen County DPW when the bank of the river he was working in gave way underneath him

He was a brother, a father and a friend to all, a dedicated EMT.

That's how the Hackensack Volunteer Ambulance Corps remembers former member Thomas Epper, 48, who was tragically killed Thursday removing a Saddle River tree for the Bergen County DPW.

Epper's sister, Terry Epper Muller, is a HVAC trustee, former captain and president.

"It is with deep regret that I have to announce the sudden, tragic passing of a former EMT of our Corps, Thomas Epper," President Brian Corcoran said in a release. "Please keep the Epper family in your prayers during this very difficult time."

Epper -- a two-year employee with the Bergen County DPW's mosquito division -- was among five other workers removing a tree when the bank of the river he was working in gave way underneath him, Saddle River Mayor Albert Kurpis said at a municipal meeting following the 5:15 p.m. incident.

The other workers, however, were unable to lift the tree that trapped Epper off of him, the mayor said. Epper was transported to The Valley Hospital where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco said. 

Thomas John Epper

Thomas John Epper, 48 of Hackensack, passed away tragically on Thursday July 26, 2018. He worked as an Assistant Supervisor of Heavy Equipment Operators, for the Bergen County Department of Public Works. He was a member of Union Local #655 Blue Collar.

Beloved Husband to Kathryn R. (nee Hodge). Loving father of Jared Hodge and Thomas Epper of Hackensack. Dearest brother to Catherine Mayer and her husband Kurt, Joseph Epper and his wife Evan, Teresa Muller and her husband Richard, Elaine Epper and step-brother to Guy and Henry Benson. Tommy also leaves behind several nieces, nephews and many close friends, he will be greatly missed.

William "Tommy" Lawrence, 42, of Benton, a Southwestern Electric Power Co. employee died Tuesday while working on an electrical box in a Bossier City neighborhood in Louisiana

A Southwestern Electric Power Co. employee died Tuesday while working on an electrical box in a Bossier City neighborhood in Louisiana.

William "Tommy" Lawrence, 42, of Benton, was working alone in Tiburon neighborhood when he died. A colleague found his body by a ground box, Bossier Parish Coroner Dr. John Chandler said.

An autopsy to confirm the cause of death was conducted Wednesday afternoon. Autopsy findings were pending.


Chandler said Lawrence was working in a pedestal-type box when he died. Lawrence was wearing safety gloves but the fatal injury came just above where the gloves stopped, Chandler said

Swepco spokeswoman Carey Sullivan said Lawrence was married with two children. He had worked for Swepco for 22 years.

A childhood friend says Lawrence seasoned their friendship with lessons and laughter.


Shreveport native Jake Toloso met Lawrence, nicknamed "Teeter", in 1990 at Twin Lakes Summer Camp when Toloso was 10 and Lawrence, then 14, was a counselor.

"Over the next ten years we worked and goofed off with the rest of the knuckleheads in Mooringsport, Caddo Parish," Toloso said via Facebook. "He taught me how to restring a Zepco and run a bush hog while always wearing a wry smile accompanying a devious laugh."

Toloso commented on Lawrence's commitment to keeping the lights on for people, saying, "Done in the worst of the elements it’s a tough job to keep our homes, businesses, streets, and hospitals powered often with little notice until something goes wrong. Tommy was always a hard worker and he will be missed by many."

Tommy was born on March 20, 1976, and passed away suddenly on July 10, 2018. He had worked for SWEPCO for 22 years and served as the Financial Secretary for IBEW for the last 21 years.

He was an amazing husband, father, brother, son and friend. Tommy was a selfless, giving man who impacted the lives of so many. A friend described Tommy as "the most genuine person he had ever met, he made me a better person." He touched so many lives and will be missed by all who ever met him.

The way Tommy lived his life was admirable. He was truly a man's man. He loved duck hunting, fishing, camping, boating, and spending time with his friends, but most of all he loved being with his family.

Abel Sauceda of Modesto, 33, is the construction worker working for Platinum Pipeline Inc. who died when a trench collapsed Friday in Daly City

A construction worker who died when a trench collapsed Friday in Daly City has been identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office as 33-year-old Abel Sauceda of Modesto.

Sauceda was working for Platinum Pipeline Inc. on a residential construction site at 1 Martin St. around 11:20 a.m. when the fatal incident occurred, according to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.



Fire officials said crews were grading a trench that was 12 feet deep in an effort to put in a 24-inch drainpipe. Search and rescue crews were summoned to the scene, but it took roughly 12 hours to extricate the man.

Cal/OSHA is investigating what caused Sauceda’s death and has six months to issue any citations if workplace safety regulation violations occurred.


A GoFundMe page set up at gofundme.com/nwvw5-abel-sauceda-quinonez to help the family pay for funeral costs and send Sauceda’s body to be buried in Mexico has raised more than $10,500 as of this afternoon.

Heavy rains sent water spilling over the College Lake dam in Lynchburg, Virginia, spurring fears that it could collapse and prompting some home evacuations in the city of roughly 80,000 people.

Civil Emergency Message

VAC680-042100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
CIVIL EMERGENCY MESSAGE
LYNCHBURG DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
957 AM EDT SAT AUG 4 2018

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE
LYNCHBURG DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES.

THE LYNCHBURG DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORTED THAT
WATER IS HOLDING WITHIN THE BANKS OF COLLEGE LAKE. WHILE THE
SITUATION CONTINUES TO REMAIN STABLE, EMERGENCY OFFICIALS ARE
CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE DAM AS WATER IS RELEASED TODAY.

IF YOU ARE IN, LIVE NEARBY, OR DOWNSTREAM OF COLLEGE LAKE, PLEASE
MONITOR LOCAL MEDIA FOR CHANGING CONDITIONS REGARDING THE DAM.

LYNCHBURG DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES ASKS THAT EVACUEES NOT
RETURN TO THEIR HOMES UNTIL ADVISED BY LOCAL OFFICIALS. 

Officials fear Virginia dam will collapse, flood city with up to 17 feet of water  

August 4, 2018

by Tribune Media Wire



LYNCHBURG, Va. - 

Heavy rains sent water spilling over a dam in Lynchburg, Virginia, spurring fears that it could collapse and prompting some home evacuations in the city of roughly 80,000 people.

In a dire warning Thursday night, the National Weather Service reported the College Lake Dam could fail, and if it does, "the water depth at Lynchburg could exceed 17 feet in 7 minutes."

The dam was intact Friday morning, the weather service said in an update, but water has been moving over it and into Blackwater Creek about 2 miles southwest of downtown Lynchburg.

"Although water levels have decreased, the threat for dam failure continues," and emergency personnel will check for signs of structural failure, the weather service said Friday morning.

The warning comes as rain has saturated parts of the East for days, with flash-flood watches in effect Friday morning for millions from Georgia to Vermont.

Some of Lynchburg is already flooded. City officials posted pictures Thursday of rescuers using a raft to take families from a flood-threatened apartment complex as well as the partial collapse of one road into an adjacent creek.


Other photos showed water rushing Thursday night over the dam and Lakeside Drive, which separates College Lake and Blackwater Creek.

Earlier Thursday, Joni Organ posted video on social media of water thundering powerfully down a swollen Lynchburg creek.

"I think I know some people who are going to be moving tonight," Organ says in the video.

Should the dam collapse, floodwaters would move from the creek into the James River near Lynchburg's business district.

The city's Department of Emergency Services urged people living on a number of roads near the dam to evacuate Thursday night. The department's Piper Van dePerre told CNN affiliate WDBJ in Roanoke that crews are working with a list of 124 residences that need to be evacuated.

The west-central Virginia city near the Blue Ridge Mountains has received plenty of runoff from recent rains, and 4 to 6 inches of rain fell in the area Thursday evening, filling College Lake beyond its capacity.

A flash-flood watch was in effect through 6 p.m. Friday in Lynchburg, with 1 to 3 more inches of rain expected.

The University of Lynchburg, which is near the lake, said it has not ordered an evacuation because it is not downstream of the dam, according to affiliate WSLS in Roanoke. The school said it is open Friday, though its entrance on Lakeside Drive was closed.

The sinking and salvage of the F/V Pacific Paradise off Waikiki

Responders prepare to remove grounded fishing vessel off Honolulu



For high resolution imagery, click on the thumbnails above.

HONOLULU — Responders prepare efforts Thursday to remove the grounded 79-foot fishing vessel Pacific Paradise off Waikiki.


A salvage team was able to approach the vessel for the first time post fire, Wednesday to survey the damage, assess the hull and inspect for pollution.

The vessel will be prepped today in an attempt to be towed off of the reef, Friday if conditions allow.

Nearly 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel and other debris was removed from the vessel and marine contaminants continue to be removed as well.

The vessel remained grounded despite several initial attempts to tow it from the reef located off Waikiki’s Kaimana Beach during favorable tides.

A safety zone remains in effect around the vessel extending out 500 yards in all directions. The public is asked to remain clear of the safety zone to prevent injury or impact to operations. The public is strongly urged not to attempt to approach the vessel.

A temporary flight restriction up to 1,000 feet will remain in effect until 9 p.m.

Partners in the effort include personnel in several divisions of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response, the responsible party, commercial salvors and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA crews are standing by to assist marine mammals as necessary, none have been affected thus far.

Weather conditions in the vicinity of the vessel are forecast as 22 mph winds out of the east-northeast with waves 1 foot or less. Rain showers are possible. These conditions are expected to remain through the remainder of the week. The vessel is somewhat sheltered from the wind by Diamond Head as it’s on the south shore of Oahu.

The Pacific Paradise is a U.S.-flagged vessel and part of the Hawaii longline fishing fleet homeported in Honolulu. Coast Guard response and Honolulu Fire Department crews rescued the master and 19 fishermen from the vessel late night Oct. 10, following reports that the vessel grounded off Diamond Head near Kaimana Beach. Those crewmen were released to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The cause of the grounding remains under investigation. 

==============================




HONOLULU — The grounded Pacific Paradise was successfully removed from the reef off Kaimana Beach Thursday.

The State of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources will assume the lead as the coordinating agency to work with the owner of the Pacific Paradise to conduct cleanup of the wreck site as the pollution threat has been removed. The state will assess any damage done to the reef and facilitate the next step in mitigating the impacts and rehabilitating the reef.


“This response has been long and challenging, but the professionalism and expertise of the crews that came together was nothing short of impressive”, said Capt. Michael Long, captain of the port and commander U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. We appreciate the patience and support of the public, the diligence and persistence of our partners and are grateful the Pacific Paradise was safely removed.”

Suzanne Case, chair of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, expressed her sincere appreciation to everyone involved for their patience, persistence and care in getting the Pacific Paradise removed from the reef successfully and safely. Case said, "These efforts are complex, and with the addition of unpredictable ocean conditions, the position, size and weight of the ship on the reef, and its proximity to one of Hawaii's most populated beach areas, it was important that we all worked together to remove the ship while minimizing risk to people and to the environment. DLNR is conducting a full assessment of the reef and any associated natural resource damage that occurred during the event.”

Response crews refloated the Pacific Paradise Wednesday and moved the vessel about 600 feet into the sandy channel before losing the tide. Crews conducted additional work to the vessel late in the day to prepare for the refloat and tow Thursday. That effort was ultimately successful in fully removing the vessel at 7:15 a.m. on the high tide using the tug Pi’ilani.

Just over a mile offshore the tow was switched over to the tug American Contender for the transit out to the EPA-approved disposal site 13 miles south of Oahu in federal waters. The responders are now in the process of sinking the Pacific Paradise in nearly 1,800 feet of water, which may take several hours.

During the operation to refloat and remove the grounded vessel minimal pollution entered the water.

The vessel originally grounded just before midnight Oct. 10. In the time since, local and mainland experts have worked diligently to remove the vessel as quickly and safely as possible with the least amount of impact to the marine environment. Responders spent the past weeks preparing and patching the hull, removing excess weight by pumping water and removing heavy spare parts including sheet metal and the rudder and adding additional buoyancy. The challenging environment and weather did slow or delay some work.

The Coast Guard is continuing the investigation into the cause of the grounding. That process will likely take several months. Once complete those findings will be released to the public and action will be taken to levee any fines or punitive actions that may be deemed appropriate.

The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday for a crewman reported overboard from the 780-foot cruise ship Amsterdam in Sitka Sound, Alaska.

Coast Guard suspends search for man overboard from cruise ship in Sitka Sound
August, 3rd, 2018




Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk File Photo

KODIAK, Alaska – The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday for a man reported overboard from the 780-foot cruise ship Amsterdam in Sitka Sound, Alaska.

Two Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews searched a total of 163-square miles in the Sitka Sound, from Cape Ommaney to Biorka Island and surrounding waters in efforts to locate the man.

Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received notification at 9 p.m., Thursday, from the Amsterdam reporting the man missing after he did not show up for his shift. The master was made aware of the missing man at 7:45 p.m. The Amsterdam crew made extensive searches of the vessel, but did not locate the crew member.

“It’s never an easy decision to suspend a search,” said Cmdr. Byron Hayes, Sector Juneau search and rescue mission coordinator. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of this man.”

Weather was reported as 45-mph winds, low visibility, 7-10 foot seas, a water temperature of 55 degrees and an air temperature of 62 degrees.

Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez, Two Former Biscayne Park Patrol Officers, Plead Guilty to Deprivation of a Juvenile’s Civil Rights by Intentionally Making False Arrests

Two Former Biscayne Park Patrol Officers Plead Guilty to Deprivation of a Juvenile’s Civil Rights by Intentionally Making False Arrests


Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore, U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of Florida, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade State Attorney, Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Troy Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), today announced that former Biscayne Park Police Officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez pleaded guilty today to depriving a 16-year old juvenile, “T.D.,” of his Civil Rights by falsely arresting T.D. for four unsolved burglaries.

As noted at the hearing and in court filings, on June 13, 2013, former officers Dayoub and Fernandez were both working on duty for the Village of Biscayne Park Police Department. On June 13, their supervisor instructed them to unlawfully arrest and falsely charge T.D., a juvenile previously known to Chief RA and Dayoub, for unsolved burglaries that had occurred in Biscayne Park. Dayoub and Fernandez complied with Chief RA’s instructions and falsely arrested T.D. Fernandez wrote narratives containing fabricated information in support of the four arrest affidavits that falsely claimed an investigation revealed that T.D. had committed the four burglaries. Dayoub signed and attested that the contents of the affidavits were true even though he, like the supervisor and Fernandez, knew that no evidence existed to substantiate the arrest. T.D. was subsequently arrested for the four burglaries.

Dayoub and Fernandez both pleaded guilty to count two of a superseding indictment charging each defendant with deprivation of T.D.’s civil rights, under color of law, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242. The defendants are both facing up to one year of incarceration as a result of their guilty pleas. The Court set the sentencing date for both of the defendants on Oct. 16.

This case is being investigated by the FBI, including the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force, and FDLE, and assisted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry C. Wallace, Jr., Department of Justice Trial Attorney Donald W. Tunnage, and Assistant State Attorney Trent Reichling.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.