42-year-old Wellington woman will not be charged; authorities still puzzled by Century Park act
This is the area for which a Wellington woman crawled through a concrete drainage tunnel at Century Park. (Click on image for larger view).
by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Wellington authorities are still scratching their heads over why a woman got trapped for awhile in a storm drain inlet Monday afternoon. Nevertheless, the incident will not lead to any charges said Wellington Police Chief Tracy Heath.
A 42-year-old Wellington woman, name not released, was found by a neighbor on the east side of Century Park, formerly known as Lions Club Park, allegedly trapped in an inlet on the west embankment of U.S. 81 across from 10th Street.
Inlet at Century Park on U.S. 81.
The woman was found after neighbors heard her yelling from across the street. Heath said she had clothing, perhaps stripped off, and was waving it out of the inlet hole. The inlet was approximately 10 feet high that contained a metal latter going to a manhole at the top. The neighbors were able to pry off the metal manhole above and she climbed to safety.
She was out of the inlet before authorities had shown up to the scene.
Heath said it appears as if the woman had entered the drainage concrete culvert several feet to the west which had a 30-inch diameter hole.
“Mind you, this is all speculation, because we don’t know for sure,” Heath said. “But there were footprints leading into the culvert.”
This is the concrete culvert that the woman allegedly passed through.
It appears that the woman crawled through the tunnel underneath the two walkways and median above, before coming out on the other side into the inlet.
Heath said he did not know why the woman did not decide to go back from where she came. He speculated that the woman may have been confused or decided she did not want to crawl back. She instead waited for a rescue at the eastern inlet.
The WPD has decided not to press charges, although there is a statute that people cannot trespass in a sewage drainage.
In this case, the inlet serves an important function of capturing water that comes off 10th Street from the northeast, that passes underneath Century Park and eventually into Slate Creek to the south.
“We most certainly don’t advocate people to crawl into storm drainage tunnels,” Heath said. “There is significant danger in doing something of this nature.”
This is the manhole that was eventually opened.
Wellington Police Captain Paul Nefzger said people need to realize the danger in going into drainage tunnels.
“You don’t know what’s inside,” Nefzger said. “There could be dangerous gasses trapped in the enclosed area. Or you yourself could have a seizure or a heart attack and nobody will be able to find you.”
It is undetermined when the woman allegedly decided to make her culvert adventure, but it appears it was between the hours of 1 and 7 p.m. She was later treated and transported from the scene by Wellington EMS.
WPD is asking for assistance from anyone who may have been in/around Century Park yesterday between 1 and 7 p.m.
