VNP, did the park ranger go to far?

Riverrat wrote:

So if I rent out my vette to someone who drives it off the interstate when its raining, and when I go to retrieve it from the ditch the troopers show up and say hold up what’s going on, there should be no problem with me just driving off right? Flood warnings were issued three days before the incident, as an owner you might want to point out problem areas to your renters, and just because someone is your client doesn’t mean you get to interfere with an investigation. He had no control of the houseboat he had the little tender, the houseboat was driving in circles talking on the radio to the rangers.

You have no idea what you’re talking about. This isn’t a Corvette, nor a highway so I don’t see your point in comparing the two. That’s your biggest stretch yet!! He was really fleeing fast at an idle towards the houseboat wasn’t he though.
The houseboat was not doing circles, it was on the rocks.
Do you know VNP? Do you realize what you’re saying when you say that he should make his guests aware of the hazards? 150,000 +acres of water full of rocks. He’d be better off circling the whole map. That’s why they put markers out. In this case the park failed to do so.

That depends, is your vette in a precarious position and likely to have further damage without immediate action? No one was saying he shouldve driven off with the houseboat unlike your example. They are saying they should have let him secure the houseboat in a safe place and THEN had a discussion about it. Obviously they were in the wrong since any charges were dropped/dismissed.

Riverrat wrote:

So if I rent out my vette to someone who drives it off the interstate when its raining, and when I go to retrieve it from the ditch the troopers show up and say hold up what’s going on, there should be no problem with me just driving off right? Flood warnings were issued three days before the incident, as an owner you might want to point out problem areas to your renters, and just because someone is your client doesn’t mean you get to interfere with an investigation. He had no control of the houseboat he had the little tender, the houseboat was driving in circles talking on the radio to the rangers.

This is pretty laughable. Good try though. Appreciate the chuckle.

Sounds like he f’ed around and found out

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to VNP, however in my experience, the rangers and DNR are some of the most arrogant and rude I’ve ever interacted with.

Is there a lawsuit on this or what’s the outcome. Everyone walk away pissy ?

Bearcat89 wrote:

Is there a lawsuit on this or what’s the outcome. Everyone walk away pissy ?

Sounded like Ebel was booked and released and plead no contest, little fine, I believe most charges dropped.

munchy wrote:

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to VNP, however in my experience, the rangers and DNR are some of the most arrogant and rude I’ve ever interacted with.

IMO the CO’s in International Falls and Ray are good guys. The CO out of Orr is too, but has more of a hard core rep. It’s the retired CO from Ray that would have arrested his grandma.

The park rangers…well that’s a different story. Most have zero ties to the area and seem to come and go. Plus the feds all seem to go to jerk school as part of their training.

blackbay wrote:

Plus the feds all seem to go to jerk school as part of their training.

munchy wrote:

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to VNP, however in my experience, the rangers and DNR are some of the most arrogant and rude I’ve ever interacted with.

Sensing a pattern here.

Ive never had a negative experience with a park ranger or conservation officer in the park. I have yet to meet the new ranger that’s causing waves recently though. I was checked by a CO in July on Namakan. Very friendly and professional. I don’t recall his name or which station he works out of. He was a big guy and my aunt who works up there said everyone calls him Hoss.
The last time I was checked by a park ranger was about 3 years ago. That was a lady ranger and she was also friendly and professional. That day I learned my fire extinguisher was in the red but she gave me a break and let me off with a warning. They’re definitely not all bad up there but we all know it only takes a couple bad apples to ruin the whole bushel.

grubson wrote:

That day I learned my fire extinguisher was in the red but she gave me a break and let me off with a warning.

Thanks for the reminder I will have to get a new one.

I’ll have to echo what grubson says. I have not been checked/stopped by NPS Rangers in quite a few years, tho I do see them pass by nearly every trip up camping. They have 2 nearly identical Lunds, one black and one red that they cruise around in. The only negative contact in the over 500 nights camping in Voyageurs I’ve had with a NPS ranger was on literally the first day of my first camping trip to the park in 1996. Had a guy come into camp (McManus island site) and rip me up and down for cutting down trees in the campsite and leaving woodchips all over. I told him that I did none of the damage, that it was like that when we arrived that morning, and to search the campsite for any of the cut wood he suspected. He just huffed and stomped around and finally said I guess since I didnt see you cutting it I cant give you a ticket but this is a verbal warning. On our way out at the landing 5 days later, i was talking to a park worker in the lot as I loaded up my boat and told him about the Ranger and he laughed and said that his nickname was “little Napolean” for his height (5’4″ maybe) and attitude.
Since then I’ve had no issue with them at all. In one case we should have gotten a ticket no doubt, but they gave us a warning instead. Nor any DNR wardens I’ve been contacted by on Rainy and Namakan. And that includes quite a few stops by the infamous Lloyd Steen (the retired one from Ray referenced prior). He was always asking how I liked my Honda 90 outboard (this was back in the early 2000’s when there weren’t many around). Last DNR stop was 3 years ago on Rainy over the 4th of July week. Professional as can be.
That said, knowing where this took place, what its like when the wind is blowing that hard and that the older couples were on the rocks there, I find way more fault on the part of the Rangers here. Could have been handled way better on both parts, but I find more blame on the escalation with the rangers in this situation.