A man arrested for soliciting sexual services from another man in a Wyoming park known for such activities is suspected to be a Republican candidate for Kent County Commissioner.
In response to a reader’s tip, The Midwesterner submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Wyoming Clerk’s office, specifically asking for all 2024 arrest records for Kent County District 20 commissioner candidate David Lee Boelkes. The clerk’s response was a heavily redacted arrest record, but one of the men cited in the record is suspected to be Boelkes.
According to the document obtained from the the Wyoming Clerk, reporting Officer Anthony Jacob witnessed three men behaving suspiciously at Buck Creek Nature Preserve on June 19, 2024.
“I was observing the park from the church parking lot to the north of Buck Creek,” Jacob wrote. “I observed 2 men enter the park, walking behind the bathrooms, then into the woods. One was a white male, tall, with a blue shirt, green shorts and a [redacted]….”
Jacob wrote that he approached the rear of the bathroom on foot, and watched one of the two men walk toward 44th Street. Jacob then said he saw the man described previously meet a third man, who “appeared to be Hispanic, with a black hat, light colored tank top.”
The two men went behind a tree, where he could observe both men’s “backsides” on either side of the tree.
Presumably because he saw the uniformed officer observing their activities, the Hispanic man briskly walked away into the woods. The other man told Jacob he “goes to the park all the time to run.”
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Jacob detained the other man, handcuffed him, walked him out of the woods, seated him at a picnic table near the bathroom, issued him a citation for a misdemeanor obscenity charge, and eventually released. The Hispanic man “eventually made his way back to the main parking lot and bathroom area,” where he was also detained, issued an obscenity misdemeanor citation, and released.
“On 6-16-24 we had another case of males [redacted] at Buck Creek,” a supplement to Jacob’s report stated. “It has become apparent this inappropriate behavior is ongoing and the park has become a place where men are meeting up just [redacted]. There are constantly single men loitering and if you are in a fully marked cruiser in the park, cars will pull in, use the roundabout and exit the park without stopping. In the previous case, one of the suspects was able to be identified and felony charges were approved for gross indecency between males committing/procuring. This park has a bike path that is used often and is in open view of where these [redacted] are occurring. There is also a church/school/daycare center directly next to it with a playground where you have a clear view as well. Contact was made with the court to get Officer Jacob’s citations of indecent exposure canceled in order to obtain different charges on both suspects in this case.”
According to court records, Boelkes has been charged with 1 felony count of Gross Indecency Between Males Committing/Procuring for an offense that occurred June 19. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 18 at 9:45 a.m in 62A District Court in Wyoming.
Boelkes is running against Derek Anderson in the August Republican primary. The winner of the matchup will face Democrat opponent Nancy Morales in the November general election. The 20th District Commissioner seat is currently held by Ivan Diaz, a Democrat who was first elected in 2022 but is not seeking reelection.
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“First, my heart goes out to David,” Anderson texted The Midwesterner. “Someone clearly failed him, be it his own father, pastor, or civil magistrate. These unnatural affections and choices are bearing bad fruit in his life. His only hope for restoration in this life, and for peace with God in the next will come through repentance of his sin, and faith in Jesus Christ.”
Anderson continued: “Second, as a society we can expect to see more of this kind of behavior the more we drift from God’s law as our standard. We need civil magistrates who will promote what is good, true, and beautiful, and who will use their God-given authority to keep what is evil, false, and ugly at bay from society.”
The Midwesterner attempted to contact Boelkes at his business on Friday, July 5, but the man who answered denied he was Boelkes and gave a phone number that went directly to an unidentified voicemail. No one responded to the message left by The Midwesterner.