Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Valley News: A homeless man was found injured in the Firth Park restroom area, Friday.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Police continue to deal with a variety of vagrant issues at Firth Park, also commonly referred to as “Homeless Park.”
On Friday, Jan. 25, an officer was dispatched to the park’s restroom regarding a report of juveniles fighting. Upon arrival, a local homeless man, Hubert Moses, 46, formerly of Bylas, was located lying on the ground in the walkway of the restrooms. Moses had suffered some type of injury to his head and face and was bleeding. Due to the level of his intoxication, however, he was unable to tell officers if he had been assaulted or simply fell.
Moses had already been involved with officer interactions three separate times that day and had been intoxicated during each contact.
An officer interviewed several juveniles who were in the park nearby, but they were unable to provide any usable information, according to the report.
However, another homeless person advised she was in the area at the time of the incident and said Moses’ injuries were the result of a fall.
The officer then closed the case with no further follow up.
The Safford Police Department has made an effort to police the park more closely and has issued a zero tolerance for the city’s code of no alcohol allowed in the park. The area is frequented by the local homeless population, who live in tents across the highway toward the Gila River. The people utilize the park’s restrooms and frequently are found consuming alcohol at the park’s picnic tables.
