Police searching for man who allegedly befriended a disabled veteran at a Cape Cod park, then stole his belongings
Police are searching for a man who they say befriended a disabled veteran, who was vacationing with his family Wednesday at a Cape Cod park, and then stole all the man and his family’s belongings while they were taking their kids down a slide.
Yarmouth police said Thursday that they responded Wednesday evening to reports of a larceny at Cape Cod Inflatable Water Park, where they met Robert M. Watson, a disabled U.S. Marine veteran, along with his wife and two young children.
According to police, the Watson family, who were staying at a hotel in Plymouth while on vacation from their home in Jacksonville, North Carolina, had come to town to spend the day in Yarmouth. While at the Cape Cod Inflatable Park, a season wet and dry slide park in West Yarmouth, Watson said he and his family met a man and his young son, who “befriended them and thanked him for his service as a Marine.”
After meeting their new acquaintances, Watson told police that he and his wife left their belongings for a few minutes to take their children down a slide. But when they returned, the man—and their belongings—were gone.
The family began walking around the park in search of the man—as well as their belongings, all of which they had put in a beach bag and included all means of identification and money, according to police:
Inside the bag were both of their wallets and all of their identifications, cash, and bank cards. Also taken were Mr. Watson’s military identification cards veterans’ affairs card, health care card, and social security card.
Eventually, they found a park worker who said she saw a “heavyset” man walking out of the park carrying a bag that matched the description of the Watsons’ stolen beach bag. Since the Watsons had no means of identification or money, the park gave them $100, so that they could afford food and gas for the night, and return to their hotel in Plymouth.
Police said the family returned to Yarmouth on Thursday, where they visited the police department and received money from the Nicholas G. Xiarhos Memorial Fund, a charitable fund designated to support local military families in times of financial need, at a Citizens Bank in South Yarmouth.
Police said that several customers and employees who heard the Watsons’ story while waiting in line at the banks also made cash donations to the family.
Yarmouth police say they are actively following a lead on the larceny and expect to have more information on the suspect soon. In the meantime, they ask that anyone with potential information about the case contact them at 508-775-0445 or [email protected].
The Watson family is expected to stay in the area Thursday night, police said, before traveling back home to North Carolina in the next few days.
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