GF Police charge man for punching person who some think was recording kids at Crandall Park

By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer

Glens Falls police arrested Catarvis Metcalf, 26, of Corinth, on charges of disorderly conduct and harassment after he repeatedly punched a man in the outdoor workout area adjacent to the Crandall Park playground Sunday afternoon at 3:15 p.m.

Bystanders posted video of the incident to social media.

Mr. Metcalf said the man  was filming people in the park, Glens Falls Police Detective Seth French told The Chronicle.

He said there were no reported injuries in the incident.

Police arrived on scene in response to a 3:07 p.m. call alleging that man “dressed in black” was recording a baby shower,  said Assistant Chief Ryan Pedone.

He said police previously received calls claiming the man was recording children.

“We have 12 calls in July so far for either suspicious activity or some sort of harassment type thing involving him.

“The calls all generally are based around people being concerned with the conduct that he’s doing.”

Asst. Chief Pedone said, “We’ve found that nothing has risen to a criminal level….I don’t think he’s ever acknowledged that he was recording children…

“Whether he’s recording or not, it’s a First Amendment protected activity. People are allowed to record out in public. He’s not recording stuff that he’s not supposed to. When you’re in public, there is no expectation of privacy.”

Detective French advised, “If anybody sees anything they believe to be suspicious, they should obviously call. We’ll investigate every call we get. But we ask that the public not do any vigilante justice or take matters into their own hands. Call us. Report what you’re seeing.”

Asst. Chief Pedone acknowledged, “We seem to be taking a lot of backlash on the Internet. We seem to be running into a disconnect where people think that we can do something. We’re limited in what we can do when you’re in a public place.”

He said recording children on a playground is not illegal “in amongst itself.”

“Parents can say I don’t give consent for my child to be recorded,” he said. “But it’s your burden to create that barrier where you’re in a position where they can’t be recorded. So like if you were at your house with a fence up, you wouldn’t be able to record up and over a fence, or what not.”

Mr. Pedone said police have tried to interact with the man.

“He does talk to some of our officers,” he said. “Some of our officers he won’t interact with — rhyme or reason I don’t know. There is a sergeant specifically that he will have an interaction with and speak to and I know that sergeant has spoken to him a couple times.”

The Assistant Chief said the man has “ties to the Glens Falls area.”

After being arrested, Mr. Metcalf was released and will appear in Glens Falls City Court at a future date.