ALLEGED INCIDENT MID-DAY IN PLATTE CITY
Platte City police say they are investigating an alleged sexual assault that occurred in a secluded area of a local park one day last week.
According to police, a female was walking in a secluded area of Riverview Park. The park, which city officials acknowledge does not get as much use as many other area parks, is located at 150 Mill Street in Platte City, which can be generally described as in the northwest portion of the city.
The attack occurred at “mid-day,” says Joe Wellington, police chief for Platte City.
Wellington said the alleged victim reported the alleged incident at 11:58 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10. She made the report by calling 911, Wellington said.
Wellington declined to give out the approximate age of the alleged victim and declined to say whether the victim is a local resident. The chief also declined to give an estimated age of the alleged attacker.
The only information police offered on the alleged suspect is that he is reported “to be a tall white male who was wearing a black shirt at the time of the incident.”
Wellington declined to answer a question as to whether any vehicles were spotted in the area at the time of the alleged assault.
In a written release sent out two days after the reported incident, police said “while we are investigating this incident we ask that anyone who may have been in Riverview Park on Tuesday, Oct. 11 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. please contact us at 816.858.5150. Anyone with information that may help us identify a suspect is also encouraged to call.
“While this appears to be an isolated incident, please be aware of your surroundings and maintain your personal safety,” the press release states.
Asked what makes police believe this is an isolated incident, Wellington said: “We’ve not had anything similar in the past. And we certainly hope we have no more.”
The chief said local police “will maintain as much of a presence as we can in that area.”
Wellington told The Landmark that police “will investigate (the report) as far as we can take it.”
Riverview Park covers 72 acres and has a multi-use field, a playground, a picnic shelter, a basketball court, walking trails and nine-hole disc golf course. At certain times of the year it has a view of the Platte River to the west. The city’s wastewater treatment plant is in the general area. Posted hours for the park are dawn to dusk.
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