Fort Oglethorpe man arrested after park incident

FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. (WDEF) — Fort Oglethorpe Police arrested a man Thursday after an incident at Gilbert-Stephenson Park.

Officers confirmed that the man was lurking around the park.

They said he interacted with at least one child. He picked the child up, and a concerned citizen intervened.

Fort Oglethorpe Officers spoke with the complainant and the suspect.

They obtained a warrant and arrested the man. Police then transported him to the Catoosa County Jail.

The citizen who intervened also took to Facebook after the incident. She said she was at the park with her son when she saw it happen.

She said the man was dressed as a cowboy and interacted with another child prior to the incident. However, that child ran away.

Then, she said a little girl, around three years of age, ran up to the man and asked if he was a real cowboy. This citizen said the man then picked up the child, sat her down and continued talking to her.

She said that she then went up to the child and walked her back to her mom, who was calling for her child from a distance.

The woman expressed the importance of parents talking to their children about “stranger danger.”