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Police worry about distracted Pokemon Go players

Herald-Dispatch photo by Anthony Davis Elise Gooding, from Huntington, plays Pokémon Go with her friends on Sunday, July 10, 2016, at Ritter Park in Huntington.
Herald-Dispatch photo by Anthony Davis
Elise Gooding, from Huntington, plays Pokémon Go with her friends on Sunday, July 10, 2016, at Ritter Park in Huntington.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The “Pokemon Go” craze across the U.S. has people wandering into yards, driveways, cemeteries and even an off-limits police parking lot in search of cartoon monsters, prompting warnings that trespassers could get arrested or worse, if they cross paths with an armed property owner.

Since the release of the smartphone game last week, police across the country have gotten a flurry of calls from residents about possible burglars or other strangers prowling the neighborhood.

Huntington Police Chief Joe Ciccarelli said his department had not seen an increase in crime due to the game while briefly addressing the phenomenon Wednesday morning at a “Coffee with a Cop” session in the West End, but he said that could change in the coming weeks.

A handful of local entities have taken to issue casual warnings to players, mostly reiterating the bounds of private property…

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