A naked man exposing himself to children in an Atlanta-area park was arrested after a father with a handgun helped police track him down.
The father, Tae Lovelace, said the naked man was exposing himself to his two sons and other children at Trail Blazer Park in Covington on Sunday. He said he was at the park with his church to feed the needy.
Lovelace said he chased the man through the park while his grandmother called 911. As he was chasing him, the man jumped off a bridge into a creek.
He recorded cell phone video of the encounter to show responding officers. When police arrived, they told Lovelace to drop his gun.
“While the cop has his firearm pointed towards me, the guy gets up and runs away again and jumps in the river,” Lovelace said.
Police were able to arrest the naked man, who was identified as 21-year-old Josten Meeler. He was taken to a hospital, then charged with child molestation, being under the influence and public intoxication.
“The guy just needs help,” Lovelace said. “Everybody makes mistakes but the guy needs help.”
Lovelace said he’s glad he has a license to carry a weapon.
