Knightdale Man Arrested for Theft, Sexual Battery at Station Park

Arnell Jackson, a 69-year-old Knightdale man listed on the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry, was charged with misdemeanor larceny and sexual battery Tuesday after Knightdale police say he stole a woman's wallet and sexually abused her at Knightdale Station Park, a 76-acre family recreation area at 810 N. First Avenue that draws parents, children, and caregivers from across eastern Wake County on a daily basis.

Jackson, whose registry address is 5724 Woof Place in Knightdale, carries a criminal history that predates these charges by nearly three decades. He was convicted on February 22, 1999, under North Carolina Statute 14-27.2, Rape in the First Degree, stemming from a September 1997 offense against a 12-year-old victim. He was also convicted of attempted rape and indecent liberties with a minor in connection with the same case. Jackson served nearly 12 years before being released on November 19, 2011, at which point he was entered onto the state sex offender registry.

His presence at a public park where children are regularly present raises a legal question that extends well beyond the current misdemeanor counts. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-208.18, registered sex offenders convicted of offenses involving minor victims are prohibited from being within 300 feet of locations intended primarily for the use or supervision of minors, including recreation parks and playgrounds, when minors are present. A violation of that statute carries felony-level exposure, a point prosecutors may weigh as the case moves through Wake County courts.

Families who use Knightdale Station Park regularly described the news as jarring. "We come here every day after school," one parkgoer told reporters. "I normally come here at least two or three times a week." Another visitor, upon learning of the arrest, was more blunt: "Oh my gosh, I mean it's just hideous."

The park is one of the most heavily used public spaces in Knightdale, encompassing two miles of paved trails, a splash pad, a farm-and-train-themed playground, the Ashley Wilder Dog Park, an outdoor amphitheater, a Veterans Memorial, a 9-hole Gauntlet disc golf course, ponds with fountains, and a pollinator meadow. It operates dawn to dusk and routinely hosts organized youth activities, making the circumstances of the alleged crime particularly alarming to parents who treat the space as an extension of daily life.

Wake County public records show two processing dates associated with Jackson: March 31 and April 2, 2026, suggesting prior or follow-up court processing during the same period. Knightdale police asked anyone who witnessed suspicious activity near the park, or who has dashcam or surveillance footage from the area, to contact the department.

Jackson has been on the sex offender registry since 2011. Under North Carolina law, a registered offender becomes eligible to petition for removal only ten years after initial registration, meaning Jackson only recently crossed that threshold. Given his 1999 conviction for the rape of a child and now these new charges, any such petition would face near-certain rejection. As of April 2025, Knightdale had 23 registered sex offenders living within town limits, roughly one per 628 residents.