A homeless man was arrested Sunday after he ran from a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy who was trying to question him about a possible trespassing violation.
According a sheriff’s office report, a deputy was called to a wooded area near State Road 40 and County Road 314 after the property’s caretaker said two of his employees had been confronted by an unknown man. The caretaker said he believed the man had been trespassed from the area about a month ago.
As the deputy approached the man, he loudly identified himself and asked the man to come speak with him, the report states. The man, later identified as 61-year-old Craig Drummonds Parks, approached the deputy and told him he was on private property illegally. He agreed to speak with the deputy, but only outside of the wooded area near the roadway.
While walking to the roadway, the deputy asked Parks to identify himself several times, which he refused to do. He repeatedly stated that he “would be filing a report with the NSA” because the deputy was violating his civil rights, the report says.
When they cleared the wooded area, the deputy asked Parks to stand next to his patrol vehicle and identify himself, but he continued walking east on the shoulder of Hwy. 40. Parks ignored several orders to return to the deputy’s vehicle and started running away, the report states.
Parks ran into a gas station at the intersection of SR 40 and CR 314, about a quarter of a mile away. The deputy went into the store right behind him, and with the help of an off-duty deputy, was able to detain Parks without further issues.
Parks told the deputy that he didn’t initially stop or identify himself because he was scared for his life since “cops are killing hobos all the time and getting away with it.”
The deputy also checked on the trespass authorization form that was presented by the property owner. He said it identified the 120 acres near the intersection of SR 40 and CR 314 but didn’t specify the area where Parks was staying. A check of Park’s background also showed that he didn’t have any prior trespasses against him.
Parks was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with resisting an officer without violence. He was held on $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom July 24 at 9 a.m.