Halloween Eve turns ghastly in Lee County neighborhood

LEE COUNTY (WCBI) A Tuesday night trick or treat session in a North Lee County subdivision turned chaotic when hundreds of people descended on the neighborhood.  The scene unfolded at Garden Park Estates off Birmingham Ridge .  Parents began parking haphazardly on any available spot which eventually led to some cars being towed.  Sheriff Jim Johnson says claims that dozens were moved are highly exaggerated and that in reaity only 6 unattended cars were removed.

BELOW IS THE STATEMENT IN FULL FROM SHERIFF JOHNSON ON THE INCIDENT

On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, there were numerous calls that came through 911 regarding traffic on Birmingham Ridge Road and Garden Park Subdivision, vehicles parked on private property, parked vehicles in the roadway restricting access to the road, and property damage. It was even reported to us that a child being hit while trick-or-treating. Deputies responded and attempted to direct traffic flow. Traffic was not able to flow due to vehicles parked in the roadway.

Out of hundreds of vehicles, a total of six unattended vehicles were towed due to obstruction. Deputies also made sure they had rides home once they returned to the area where they were parked. A good intention turned out to be total chaos and risked the safety of many people. Unfortunately, the Sheriff’s Department is called in to deal with it. I take full responsibility for the decisions that were made on behalf of the department.

Promoting this event on a night, other than Halloween, also created a bigger response to a very congested area. These neighborhood roads are not designed for the flow of traffic that was encountered. Some of the complaints even came from the volunteer fireman who had stopped to assist.

One of my department’s first and foremost responsibilities is for the safety of the community. We try to be understanding of special occasions when enforcing the law. However, this was not simply about heavy traffic or targeting a specific event. This was a safety issue.

Due to the number of deputies and resources available, our office is not able to provide traffic assistance to one certain area while ignoring service to other areas.

In the future, for anyone planning such a large event, it is critical to have the proper resources that could alleviate the problems that occurred last night. My suggestion is to have volunteers, proper lighting, available parking, traffic plans, etc. in advance. A detailed plan of traffic flow is a must.

I am including several comments received regarding this event, with many being residents in this area:

• “I have never seen anything like the chaos that happened tonight. People walking in the middle of the road not allowing cars to pass, cars parked all over the place, people cussing homeowners who asked they move their cars out of their yard, and so on. What could have been a nice event was a mess due to the lack of civility of others.”
• “I am so glad there was no medical emergency as there was no getting in or out of the neighborhood. The biggest problem were the cars parked in the middle of road with no one around.”
• “I am appreciative of the professionalism of the deputies that were on the scene trying to help. I witnessed them being screamed at and talked to like they were not even human beings. They maintained order and continued to assist. My hat is off to them.”
• “As a resident I have never seen the neighborhood this congested. It took me over an hour to get my family home. While I am all for kids having fun, this was dangerous. People and vehicles blocked the roads where no cars could even move.”
• “We do not live out there. We came to trick-or-treat based on the social media posts that invited all to come. While the homeowners were gracious and kind, I saw people who did not live there take advantage of the kindness by parking in yards, blocking traffic, and then screaming at the officers like it was their fault.”
• Thankful for response last night. Things were dangerous last night. We could not get in and out of the subdivision. Those parked illegally have no one to blame but themselves.
• While no one could have foreseen how chaotic it was going to be last night, it has never been in the 14 years I have lived here. While usually congested, you could always get in and out. There is no excuse for the way the roads were blocked and the way people were just walking in the middle of the street so that traffic could not pass. Thankfully there was no medical emergency as they would not have been able to get in or out.
• “Even if this information was shared on social media, there is no excuse for people to make some of the decisions they did such as parking in the street where those of us following the law could not maneuver trying to exit the area.
• “I don’t live in that neighborhood but was traveling on Birmingham Ridge Road. Do the people that parked in the road not understand how difficult that road is to navigate when there are not extra issues? The road is hilly and curvy. There is a huge curve there. There is NO excuse for people thinking that parking and jamming up a public roadway is okay. It took us over an hour to get home coming down Birmingham Ridge Road.”

I hope the public will understand that the Sheriff’s Department did not set out to on a mission to stop this event. We were responding to numerous calls to fix a problem that already existed. I will continue to strive to provide a fun but safe environment for all of our citizens.

Sheriff Jim H. Johnson