One mother said she got a “wake-up call” after she believes she caught a middle-aged man taking photos of young girls in swimsuits at Oceans of Fun.
The man’s outfit was what first caught Jennifer Harper’s attention on Sunday. She said he was walking around in blue jeans and a polo shirt. It didn’t appear he had a bag of clothes he was changing into.
“I got that pit in my stomach, like this is not right,” Harper said. "Then, I kind of looked in his hand and noticed his hand was clicking, as little girls went by, and I thought, what the heck is he doing?"
She said she witnessed him taking photos of young girls in their swimsuits.
Before she reported him, she followed him around the park to make sure.
“The first device was like a little spy camera. It looked like just a little handheld device,” Harper explained. “Then I see him pull out a smartphone, a young girl, probably 12, 13 maybe, middle school age, had walked by and the man had his phone ... trailing the little girl."
Harper and her husband alerted four different employees at Oceans of Fun. They also filed a report with the Kansas City Police Department.
Harper’s personal Facebook post went viral, being shared more than 500 times.
“You don't know what the photos were. I saw of the rear ends of little girls. So you don't really know, or how long he was there doing it," she said.
Though it is still not clear if the man committed a crime, Harper hopes her experience alerts other parents.
“This could happen anywhere. Be aware of your surroundings. Cover your kids up,” Harper said.
Oceans of Fun said an internal investigation is underway. Security officials are reviewing surveillance video to determine more about the man’s behavior.
Staffers said Harper did the right thing – they encourage any visitor to report it when they see something suspicious.
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Lexi Sutter can be reached at lexi.sutter@kshb.com.
