A 55 year old man committed suicide less than 24 hours after his name and photo were made public by police after a sting in a Tennessee park lead to the arrests of 40 men. The arrests were part of a two week sting that Johnson City Police Chief says is just the beginning. The Johnson City Press published the names, addresses and photos of the men who were charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct. The men arrested ranged in age from 26-85.
Johnson City Police Chief John Lowry says:
Our parks are for family use. People should not be exposed to this while they are out there with their family or trying to enjoy the walking trails. They are not built nor maintained for sexual activity, be it homosexual activity or heterosexual activity.
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I've never understood why newspapers feel it's necessary to always print names and addresses for guys arrested in the parks. Don't they usually wait until after they've been convicted for other crimes?
This is so terribly heartbreaking that I don't even know how to finish the day. This wasn't suicide, it was murder.
I hope somebody in Tennessee is going to do something about this. Maybe these people?