An e-mail newsletter from the Overton Park Conservancy sent out Monday morning warned park users to use caution in the wake of a series of robberies in the Old Forest.
The letter said several individuals were robbed on the forest trails over the past few days. One robbery of a 64-year-old man walking in the Old Forest on Sunday, August 5th led to the arrests of James Moss, Inell Crayton, and Devekio Bateman. The teenage suspects allegedly punched and kicked their victim before robbing him of his wallet and a cell phone. They fled on bicycles but were later caught in the area near Jackson and Merton.
The MPD now believes the situation to be under control, but the conservancy is urging park users to be aware of their surroundings at all times. The conservancy is working with the MPD to install security cameras in the Rainbow Lake parking lot and the East Parkway parking lot. Those cameras will feed into the MPD’s Real Time Crime Center, meaning they’ll be under 24-hour surveillance.
The newsletter stated that overall crime in Overton Park is actually on the decrease.
