Telegraph Staff Writer
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— During its June 5 meeting, the city council discussed the popup party in Lake Butler on June 3 that resulted in one person shot, seven arrests, and traffic tie-ups in the Union County seat that lasted nearly five hours.
Council member Tony Brown asked Jeremy Clark, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office assistant chief of Patrol South, if the city needed to prepare for a similar event in the Lake Region.
Clark said he did not think the city needed any special preparations for the contingency.
“It’s new in the sense that it hasn’t happened in this region to any great degree,” Clark told council members.
He said that the agency’s leadership had discussed the trouble in Union County but is still gathering information about the June 3 incident. He added the Clay County Sheriff’s Office deals with similar situations at the Orange Park Mall when large crowds of teenagers occasionally rampage through the facility.
Clark said the city’s leadership should pay attention to what is going on in the community and watch social media for indications that events could develop into large disturbances.
“If you see something that indicates that there is a big event planned at the beach, then take it seriously and get us involved,” he said.
Council member Steve Hart said it is his understanding that when Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook was with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, her specialty was dealing with crowd control and crowd management.
“She’s had, I guess, substantial experience in that area,” Hart said. “Whether or not that would cross over to this type of event, I don’t know, but it would seem to be similar.”
Clark responded that he had not talked to Cook yet about the Lake Butler incident but would bring the subject up during an administrative meeting later in the week.
City Manager Lynn Rutkowski added that, particularly on holiday weekends, she is in contact with the sheriff’s office and emergency management about potential incidents.
