3 men banned from Statesville park after indecent exposure arrests

STATESVILLE, N.C. — A Statesville park that’s usually packed with families is also where police say serious crimes were committed.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office received several complaints about suspicious activity at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, which led to an undercover operation and the arrest of three men: William Timothy Karriker, Walter James Darnell, and John McClure Bennett.

All three are charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure and are banned from ever going back to the park.

Detectives also arrested 26-year-old Tiffany Power for drug possession.

Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with parents who told her they come to the park often. They said while they’re shocked about the crimes, they’re glad the people responsible were caught.

“It’s supposed to be a safe place,” Antonio Vargas said. “Our family comes, bring the kids so they can have fun and stuff like that.”

Vargas said he was in disbelief.

“We were just kind of shocked, you know, that stuff like that going on here,” he said.

Eric Scott said this isn’t the first time he’s heard of something like this.

“I remember years ago, something similar happened to this and they were arrested too,” Scott said.

Now, parents say they’ll be keeping an even closer eye on their kids and others.

“We probably have to be more aware our surroundings,” Vargas said.

“We’ll just keep an eye on the kids you know,” Scott said. “They go to bathroom, we go to bathroom with you then. We stand outside the bathroom and we’re just monitoring where they’re at.”

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