Tennessee State House Minority Whip Jason Powell (D-Nashville) on Monday wrote that he and his daughter helped a woman being mauled in a Nashville greenway in a plea for Mayor Freddie O’Connell and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to increase public safety.
Powell urged O’Connell, MNPD Chief John Drake, and Nashville Parks Director Monique Horton Odom to take action in a letter posted to the social media platform X by Fox 17 Nashville reporter Kylie Walker, noting he witnessed the mauling only days after 34-year-old Alyssa Lokits was found dead in the Mill Creek Greenway on October 14.
“I commend the Metro Police Department for making a quick arrest in her murder and bringing justice to our community,” wrote Powell in his Monday letter, alluding to the arrest of Lokits’ suspected killer on October 15.
Powell (pictured above, right) then warned the murder of Lokits, “is the culmination of safety problems besetting Nashville’s greenways and parks,” and after noting concerns of his Nashville constituents, divulged the encounter involving unleashed dogs.
A Tennessee lawmaker asks city leaders to address safety concerns on Nashville greenways after the recent deadly attack of 34-year-old Alyssa Lokits.
This includes adding more police patrols on our local trails. Full story @ 5:30 pm @FOXNashville pic.twitter.com/JJOKN1gQZF
— Kylie Walker (@kyliewalkertv) October 21, 2024
He wrote, “my daughter and I were driving home on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 through the Ellington Agricultural Center when we encountered a woman being mauled by two unleashed dogs on the Sevenmile Creek Greenway.”
Powell explained that he stopped his vehicle to assist, and as he stopped, the mauling victim “rushed to my car and jumped in the backseat to save herself,” while the owner of the animals “fled with the dogs and showed no regard for the wellbeing of this woman.”
The state senator said the woman was transported to a hospital by ambulance due to the severity of her wounds, then called for action to prevent future attacks in Nashville’s greenways, suggesting, “at a minimum, active patrolling by police bicycle teams on greenways, improved lighting and emergency call stations,” be implemented as “first steps.”
Elsewhere in Tennessee, a 61-year-old woman in Bolivar was attacked and killed by two dogs in July.
Powell told Fox 17 the letter was sent in response to messages from his constituents, while MNPD and O’Connell’s office confirmed they are taking steps to address what the mayor called “senseless acts of violence” in Nashville’s greenways.
Data from the MNPD weekly crime initiative book shows about the same number of violent crimes have occurred so far in 2024 as seen in previous years, but data simultaneously suggests property crimes are on the rise in the Music City.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jason Powell” by Jason Powell. Photo “Freddie O’Connell” by Freddie O’Connell. Background Photo “Richland Creek Greenway” by Rex Hammock. CC BY-SA 2.0.
