The shooter, KEVIN O'CONNELL, remained at the scene and was subsequently arrested by the Connecticut State Police and charged with second degree manslaughter with a firearm.O'CONNELL is a Connecticut Corrections Officer with the Connecticut Department of Corrections.The incident is being investigated by the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Squad.

SPIGNESI became a conservation officer in 1991. Prior
to that, he was a deer biologist with Connecticut DEP,
Wildlife Unit. In August 1998, Officer SPIGNESI was awarded the Medal for Meritorious Service by Connecticut DEP for his part in the rescue of a child that had been lost in the woods.

On November 24, 1998, Officer SPIGNESI was buried with full honors in West Hartford, CT.The Funeral was attended by officers throughout the Northeast and from as far away as Alaska and Maryland. Region 5 ARD/LE ADAM O'HARA, SRA CHRIS GRAHAM, SA RICH MOULTON, and SRA BILL DONATO officially represented the Region at the funeral services.

SRAs were encouraged by ARD/LE O'HARA to institute a liberal leave policy for others wishing to attend,
assuring them that he shared their grief and that their
message would be communicated professionally by him
at the services. SAs O'BRIEN, DOWD, BOSCO and GARABEDIAN attended to be with their Connecticut
colleagues in their time of grief and to personally convey their sorrow to the family and friends of Officer
SPIGNESI.
Submitted by Region 5

STATUS OF BILL HALAINEN
For the past twelve years BILL HALAINEN has edited the NPS Morning Report. He has faithfully published over 2,500 editions covering more than 10,000 incidents.

The MR comes out every working day unless there are
insurmountable impediments, such as serious illness or out­of­country travel.The lap top computer, a phone, and BILL combine to produce and send the Morning Report from all over the country: from scores of motel rooms, borrowed offices, kitchens and even back seats of automobiles. BILL prepares and transmits it from home or on the road even when on annual leave.

BILL suffered a minor heart attack the latter part of October and was transported by ambulance to Newton, NJ, and then on to Morristown, NJ. An angiogram and then angioplasty were scheduled but Bill's situation turned out to be much worse than first diagnosed.The results of the angiogram indicated that several arteries were seriously occluded, so BILL had bypass surgery on six arteries. He appears to be doing well.

Bill was also the editor of this newsletter for ten years.

The fraudulent license was obtained because it was required to propagate turtles in Mississippi. BTF and STF operated as a partnership with thousands of dollars being transferred from one account to another.
On July 10, 1998, STF and BTF both pled guilty to one
court of violating the Lacey Act. The two companies
were fined a total of $35,000.00 and placed on 10 years probation.As a term of probation both companies were required to release 20 alligator snapping turtles back into the wild. MDWFP is considering the revocation of STF's permits.
Submitted by Robert Oliveri, Jackson, MS.

A SINCERE``THANKYOU''
The Alaskan agents would like to send a sincere ``Thank You'' to the agents in the other regions who have helped with our investigation over the past years. With the large number of investigations started each year which require leads, it is easy to forget about the hard work and dedication of those agents doing the field work on the other end. Alaska is unique in the fact that hunters can come here from around the world and easily shoot big game (moose, caribou, brown bear/grizzly) which is rare or not available in other states and countries. This also applies to hunters going to Russia taking brown bears and importing them through Anchorage.This easy access can assure a hunter of getting the trophy he wants,
but frequently it is taken by methods not in compliance
with the State of Alaska regulations and federal law or
foreign law.

For many hunters, this is the trip of a lifetime, and their focus is on the short term---get the trophy.The fact that they, and/or their guide violated the regulations is secondary, until they are contacted by a lower 48 agent. Then the reality sets in, often with great remorse. How do you explain that the great trophy sheep you took two years ago and have told everyone about and shown on the trophy wall in the house, is now gone, seized by federal agents? Do you tell them that you were too cheap to pay the $225­$500 for the necessary tag? Do you tell them that you don't believe in fair chase?That you spotted the bear from the air the same day, landed, and had it herded to you, so you had something to brag about when you got back home? What about the hunter that shoots a second bear because the first was too small and was left to rot where it was shot?That you were too out of shape (or drunk) to climb the mountain to shoot the sheep or goat, so the guide shot it for you---another satisfied client! I've often wondered how people explained where their trophy went after the agents seized it. Maybe they say they donated
it to an educational institution!

Often the lower 48 agent makes the difference by asking an additional question or getting additional evidence to determine residency, locate evidence, or get the confession. It is this type of dedication that can make or break a case when there is a lack of firm evidence. (Often we know the information given to us is good, that the violation occurred, that the guide has a history of operating that way, there's only one problem---evidence and proof of the violation.) Often it is the phone call to the case agent before the interview which leads to new questions to ask, and new evidence to seize or gather, which can be of great help. You often have local knowledge, or get the information from a local officer who can tell you about the subject, which can give you the right context in which to frame your interview---something we are not aware of---that makes a great difference.

Hopefully we can reciprocate by helping with a lead
that you send up. One investigation stands out as a fun interview, was on a mountain lion investigation lead sent to SA CORKY ROBERTS.How the Alaskan hunter (also an Alaskan guide) expected to lie his way out of that violation is beyond rationalization.
Once again, ``Thank You'' from us, and the State of
Alaska, for your work on the Lacey investigations we
have. One final request we have is to help us cut down on the number of leads we send out or our Lacey Act investigations---keep your @#!*~ poachers at home!
Thanks again.
Submitted by Jerry Cegelske, Fairbanks, AK

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