LOCAL
Angelica Perez, Tulsa Flyer
People are beginning to return to Hunter Park following an arrest in an alleged assault case. Photo: Angelica Perez/Tulsa Flyer.
Katie Dixon and her family were once regular visitors to Hunter Park. That changed when Dixon saw the news of an alleged rape in August at the south Tulsa park.
After weeks away, Dixon returned Wednesday morning, hours after Tulsa police arrested Brent Allen Reamy, 42, Tuesday night in connection to the Aug. 21 assault. The Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office charged him with one count of rape by instrumentation.
“I did feel a lot safer when I saw that last night,” Dixon told the Tulsa Flyer on Wednesday. “I was like, ‘Oh, I can bring the kids back over there and play a little bit more and bring the dog.’”
The arrest comes after a string of violent incidents in city parks. The Hunter Park attack and a reported sexual assault at Turkey Mountain occurred days apart, causing fear among parkgoers and a community push to improve safety for visitors, especially women. TPD continues to investigate the incident at Turkey Mountain and whether the two are connected.
The Hunter Park victim said a white male in his 40s or 50s approached her while she was walking in a wooded area. The suspect physically attacked the victim and they sustained injuries, according to TPD.
An officer made contact with Reamy shortly after the alleged assault, and said he began asking questions about the investigation and displayed “unusual behavior.” The interaction didn’t connect Reamy to the crime until later on, and the victim identified him in a photo lineup.
Jan Stickney used to run at Turkey Mountain often, but now comes to Hunter to use its dog park. Stickney’s husband doesn’t feel safe about her going to Turkey Mountain alone unless she carries a concealed weapon.
On July 24, a jogger was stabbed in the face at Turkey Mountain. TPD arrested Jesse Brown, who is charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon, shortly after the attack.
“I miss it, but I do feel very safe here,” she said of Hunter Park. “I have great confidence in our Tulsa Police Department and I am so thankful for what they’ve done.”
Priscila Rosales said she was shocked when she heard about the incident since it’s also a space for children. She stopped coming for about a week, but said she couldn’t ruin her dog’s usual schedule anymore and decided to return.
“Honestly, for both arrests, that was just very scary,’” Rosales said, referring to Reamy and Brown. “This one, I was just like, ‘Oh, thank God they got caught,’ because you don’t really hear about those things a lot anymore. So those two are like, ‘what the heck?’”
Tulsa Police are asking residents with any information regarding the Turkey Mountain case to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-585-5209. Callers can remain anonymous.
Angelica Perez is the Eastside/La Semana reporter. You can reach her at angelica@tulsaflyer.org. También habla español.
