Kent police are investigating a Memorial Day party at Plum Creek Park they say attracted about 2,000 revelers and resulted in damage to the park and two arrests on concealed weapons charges.
Two Cleveland-area residents, both in their early 20s, were arrested at the scene and charged with unlawfully carrying concealed weapons.
Police said the park was strewn with debris, including open containers of alcohol, cooked and uncooked food, and trash. Drug paraphernalia was also found at the scene. Cars left ruts in a field, and there was evidence of at least one car having done donuts on the park’s basketball court.
Residents heard screeching tires and loud music over a half-mile away.
The park closes at dusk, so each of the partygoers was criminally trespassing when police arrived at 9:28 p.m. May 30, Kent Police Lt. Michael Lewis said. No one was cited for trespassing because sending a handful of officers into a crowd that large “is just not safe,” he said.
Kent Parks Director Angela Manley said her office was notified of the incident the following morning and sent parks employees to Plum Creek Park to clean up. Her department is responsible for park maintenance and recreational programming, not security, she said.
“We’re working with the police department and other city officials on anything we could do to deter these types of parties from being organized,” she said. “These are certainly not things that are going through the proper channels and getting permits. These are people who are deciding to host parties at certain locations after hours, and they don’t run through this office.”
To enhance security, police could patrol more regularly, she said, adding that Kent Police Chief Nick Shearer has pledged extra attention to city parks. The city parks department does not have enough personnel or the means to tackle that task itself, Manley said.
“We have no indicators that would help us predict the randomness of a party or incident like this taking place,” Manley said. “This isn’t a regular occurrence, and we don’t want it to become a regular occurrence, but there was certainly no way for us to be aware of this ahead of time.”
First on scene was Kent police officer Michael Carnahan, who said he saw cars parked on both sides of the single-lane road that loops through the park.
“As I got closer, I observed an object in the waistband of one of the males … that I instantly recognized as a handle to a pistol,” Carnahan wrote in his report. “I exited my cruiser as the two males continued walking towards me. I observed [the man] take his shirt and pull it over the handle. I drew my firearm pointing it at [him] and ordered him to not move and get to the ground.”
Instead of complying, the man denied he had a firearm. He and another man proceeded east toward a field in the park, placing themselves between two parked vehicles. Carnahan ordered the first man not to grab his gun, and this time the two men complied as Carnahan ordered them to the ground, the report states.
As Carnahan called for backup, he located the gun under a vehicle near where the men were on the ground, and the other man then also admitted to having a gun, Carnahan wrote.
“I went and retrieved both guns and made them safe,” Carnahan wrote. “Both guns had magazines loaded and a round in the chamber.”
Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is still a fourth-degree felony in Ohio until June 12, when a new law takes effect allowing anyone to carry a lawfully obtained gun.
The crowd left trash, food and alcohol bottles behind, “and there was also damage to the grass because people parked their vehicles anywhere they wanted,” Carnahan said.
Kent Police Sgt. Ryan Gaydosh, who also was on scene, added that open liquor containers, drug paraphernalia, and cooked and uncooked food was “all over the pavilion and park.”
Lewis said no one took responsibility for the party, and Kent City Council Member Robin Turner suggested that the event grew out of a “meetup” that was posted on social media.
Police would like to find the person or people responsible for the party and file appropriate charges, Lewis said.
Police arrived at the scene to find a “strong odor of drug use in the park, and unlawful alcohol consumption,” Lewis stated.
Brimfield police and Kent State police were also on scene.
As a matter of routine, Kent police run sporadic patrols through the park. The entrance to the park is not closed except in the winter, and even then only by cables that can be easily bypassed.
Kent police are discussing possible security solutions with the city’s parks and recreation department, Kent City Manager Dave Ruller and Turner. Amping up patrols is only one solution to “make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure the park is safe, clean and ready for everyone to enjoy,” Lewis said.
Days after the event, the only remaining evidence are tire tracks all over Plum Creek’s basketball court, where people continue to play.
“We don’t want to take measures to have to close parks or take resources away that our own residents enjoy, because they don’t deserve that,” Manley said.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.