Aug 12, 2015 2 min read

A Washington man told state police that a man brandished a handgun at him while he was with children at Wolfdale Park in Canton Township just after 6 p.m. Tuesday.

State police received a report at 6:12 p.m. of a man waiving the gun at the park just off Jefferson Avenue (Route 844) at Mark Avenue. Charles B. Jenkins, 37, told police the man wielded a silver and black handgun at him and several juveniles before getting back in a car and fleeing the area.

The gunman was white, wearing a black ball cap, black shirt and blue jeans. He got into a white, four-door car with a temporary paper registration plate from either West Virginia or Ohio. The car was driven by a white woman wearing a pink shirt and with dark blond hair.

Bob Franks, chairman of the Canton board of supervisors, said he was at the playground Wednesday morning and no one mentioned the gun incident to him. He said while the playground is often used by children and families, others have used the playground as a drinking spot.

“Someone from the township road crew goes down on Mondays to clean it up,” Franks said Wednesday. “I’ve been told there are a lot of beer cans. I don’t know when they are drinking it, but there were two or three cases worth of empty cans. But at least they used the trash cans.”

“The playground is for families,” he added.

Rick Zatta, chairman of the township’s park and recreation board, said he is very concerned about what happened Tuesday.

“The playground is well-used,” Zatta said Wednesday. “I drove by about noon today and there were seven cars parked in the lot and the playground was filled with kids.

“Our board is going to have to address this,” he added. “I am concerned for the kids’ safety. You can’t have guns at a playground. It is a place for the kids to have fun.”

The incident is expected to be discussed at the board of supervisors meeting at 6:30 p.m. today. Anyone with information on the incident or alleged gunman is asked to call state police at 724-223-5200.