White Rock Lake. Photography by Renee Umsted.
Burglaries of motor vehicles were down at White Rock Lake in April, but two events in early May had the White Rock Lake Task Force members scratching their heads.
Two burglaries of vehicles were reported in April, one at Lakewood Park and one at the spillway parking lot. This is a decrease from March, which saw nine burglaries of vehicles early that month.
A truck caught fire May 8. Officer Jared Nielson, who briefed the task force, says there was a hot grill in the back of the vehicle. Fire fighters were able to put out the fire, and no injuries were reported.
Fire fighters respond to the truck on fire at White Rock Lake. Photography by Jehadu Abshiro.
The next day, a truck went into the lake. Fire fighters responded to the scene and rescued the man who was trapped. Nielson says the fire fighter who broke the glass to save the man cut his hand in the process.
As of the task force meeting, the police report had not been filed, so Nielson wasn’t sure how the truck ended up in the lake.
Nielson pointed to an incident in early April as a model for how park users should address suspicious activities. Someone called 911 on April 5 to report something they saw, and after a follow-up call from the police to gather more information, officers made seven arrests for public intoxication and issued nine citations.
He says that sometimes a call from a police officer may show up as “no caller ID” or “unknown.”
One other incident Nielson highlighted was a robbery that occurred around 3 p.m. May 5 at 200 N. Buckner Blvd. near Norbuck Park. A car and wallet were stolen at gunpoint, and there were no injuries.
There isn’t a specific area in the park that tends to be high in criminal activity because once officers start patrolling problem areas more, crime shifts to other locations at the lake.
Editor’s note: A body was found at White Rock Lake on May 11. Read about it here.Â
