Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Incidents of poor public behavior in city parks won’t be tolerated and police in Forest Lake will be increasing patrols to make sure they don’t.

Chief of Police Clark Quiring said a string of incidents at Lakeside Memorial Park in the city’s downtown have fueled the intensified police patrol. Incidents of poor behavior won’t and shouldn’t be tolerated, the chief said.

He pointed to a number of incidents.

On Wednesday, March 28 at 5:50 p.m., police received a public report of a man urinating at Lakeside Park. Following information obtained from the public, police stopped a 19-year-old Forest Lake man who was ticketed for disorderly conduct.

Earlier in March police on patrol near the park came across a man and a woman having sex in a car.

The encounter involving a man from Stacy and a woman from Ham Lake took place around noon in the municipal parking lot adjacent to Lakeside Park.

The man was tagged for disorderly conduct. The woman, who owned the vehicle, was issued a ticket for no proof of insurance.

Other recent park incidents involve skate boarding complaints and two incidents where vehicles were driven into the park. In the latter cases, tickets for driving while intoxicated and careless driving were issued, Quiring said.

The chief said it is the department’s goal to improve behavior at all public parks, with a key emphasis on the downtown park where many public events take place and the public swimming beach is located.

“We want to have parks where people and families can go and feel comfortable,” Quiring said.

Officer injured

A city police officer suffered a minor ankle injury after a suspect fled officers on foot on April 2.

Police were called at 2 a.m. to check on a loud party at 820 SE 2nd St. As police investigated the report, one man fled the property on foot.

After a short foot pursuit, Adam Locher, 25, of 820 SE 2nd St. was arrested on an outstanding drunk-driving warrant in Sherburne County and booked on probable cause of fleeing a police officer on foot and obstruction with force.

The officer reported an ankle injury but was able to return to work, Quiring said.

Other news

In other police reports in Forest Lake, city officers:

•Used police canine officer Matrix to assist Chisago County deputy sheriffs with the arrest of two burglary suspects at 3:24 a.m. on March 29. Matrix was sent to 6133 402nd St. in North Branch where deputies were investigating a possible copper theft in progress. Two males were arrested at the scene and the dog was used to control one of the suspects, Quiring said.

•Investigating the theft of a Chevrolet S10 pickup from Forest Lake Chrysler, 321 SW 19th St. that was taken sometime between March 22 and April 2.

•Investigating a residential burglary reported on March 28 in the 21000 block of Forest Road N.

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