Following an investigation by a team of US Park Rangers and Special Agents of the National Park Service (NPS) Investigative Services Branch, a man has been sentenced to serve 166 months in federal prison for assault and weapons violations in Hot Springs National Park. Cedric Allen Wiley, age 30, previously pleaded guilty to one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm and one count of Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
Court documents show that on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, at approximately 7:00 p.m., NPS agents responded to a shooting that occurred along Summit Drive of West Mountain within boundaries. NPS Dispatch reported the shooting and that a victim had been shot in the back. Responding NPS officers were able to identify a possible suspect(s) based on information provided by the victim both on scene and at the hospital. Additionally, the victim later confirmed that Wiley was the person who shot them.
The victim reported to investigators that, prior to the shooting, they had been riding around in a vehicle with Wiley and others when they stopped in Hot Springs National Park. While there, Wiley turned around, drew a weapon from his person, and fired the weapon as the victim ran toward the shoulder of the road. The victim was hit in the back and went over the embankment, and reported that as they ran into the woods and down the embankment, Wiley continued to shoot at them. Wiley left the scene and the victim was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
During an interview with investigators on Feb. 24, 2019, Wiley admitted he contacted the victim to arrange a meeting with them. Wiley advised that he was upset with the victim, and that he shot the victim in the national park on Feb. 21, 2019, with a firearm that Wiley had obtained prior to the shooting. Wiley was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2019, and entered a guilty plea in August 2019. At his sentencing hearing this week, Wiley was also ordered to serve 3 years of supervised release following his prison term.
“Investigating and prosecuting violent crimes such as this one is a top priority in the Department of Justice and the Western District of Arkansas," said First Assistant US Attorney David Fowlkes. “We will continue to work relentlessly to make our communities safer by ensuring that violent criminals are prosecuted using the full extent of our federal and state resources."
The National Park Service is dedicated to ensuring every victim of or witness to a crime that occurs within the NPS community is treated with dignity and respect, that they are informed of their legal rights, and provided with the support and services they are entitled to. More information is at nps.gov/orgs/1563/victim-witness-assistance.htm
ISB: the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service
www.nps.gov/ISB
Tags: isb hot springs national park hosp special agent investigative services branch us park ranger
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
