Two accused of public lewdness in sex sting at Fort Worth park
A 70-year-old Fort Worth man who had been arrested in 1979 for public lewdness was one of two men arrested Tuesday in an undercover operation by Fort Worth police aimed at sexual activity at Gateway Park.
The undercover operation has been conducted for years by vice officers in plainclothes in response to complaints of male sexual activity at the park at 751 Beach Street, near Interstate 30 in east Fort Worth.
Last year, more than 10 men including a then-88-year-old former Paschal High School coach were arrested in the operation.
A police incident report Tuesday indicated that vice officers were back at Gateway Park investigating complaints.
Generally, the way the operation works is that a suspect walks up to an undercover officer and solicits sex, Fort Worth police have said.
Jail records identified the men arrested on Tuesday as J.D. McGlothin, 70, and Denny Wingfield, 60, both of Fort Worth. The arrests were made from midnight to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, police records indicate.
Fort Worth police could not be reached Wednesday to comment on other details of the operation and how long it would continue.
McGlothin has a criminal history in Tarrant County including a previous arrest in 1979 for public lewdness, according to Tarrant County criminal court records. In that case, McGlothin served 14 days in jail as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
McGlothin has also been arrested for assault, fleeing from police, drug possession and driving while intoxicated, according to court records.
Wingfield has been convicted of criminal mischief and aggravated assault, according to court records.
In January 2018, four men, including a former Paschal High School coach, were arrested at the park and accused of indecent exposure
Jail records identified one man as 88-year-old James Edward Brewer. Fort Worth school records indicated Brewer had coached at Paschal for 15 years.
Brewer also was charged with prostitution on Dec. 31, 1997, according to Tarrant County criminal court records. He was sentenced to one year of probation in 1998 and fined $365.25. His charge was dismissed in 1999.
In the 2018 case, Brewer, served one day in jail and paid a $269 fine, according to court records.
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Two accused of public lewdness in sex sting at Fort Worth park."
