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Uploaded: Friday, January 11, 2013, 9:48 AM
Second indecent-exposure incident in Palo Alto
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by Sue Dremann
Palo Alto Weekly Staff
For the second time in two days, a man has exposed himself to a woman in Palo Alto. Police believe it is likely the same person in both incidents.
On Thursday, Jan. 10, at about 6:52 a.m., police received a 911 call from an employee of Equinox, a fitness center located at 440 Portage Ave. The employee reported that a female customer had just seen a man with his pants down near the gym, Palo Alto police said.
The woman was walking through a newly constructed hallway that connects what was once two separate businesses. The hallway is enclosed by clear glass walls and connects the two buildings. The man was standing outside and was facing the inside of the hallway looking through the glass wall.
The victim told an Equinox staff member what she had seen and said the man had walked away on foot, eastbound on Acacia Avenue towards Fry's Electronics.
Although the victim told the staff member that she did not want to involve the police, staff immediately called 911 anyway to report the incident. The victim left the scene before officers arrived. Police have been attempting to locate her to get a detailed statement and a description of the man.
The man is described as a white male in his 20s, between 6 feet and 6-feet-2-inches tall. He weighed about 180 pounds and had dark hair. He was wearing a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants. The hood of the sweatshirt was pulled up over his head.
A similar incident occurred Jan. 8 at approximately 11:14 p.m. in a parking lot on Sherman Avenue, less than a half-mile away from Thursday's crime.
Detectives from the Palo Alto Police Department are working on both investigations. Officers are increasing patrols in the area.
Prior to these two crimes, there had been no similar cases reported in Palo Alto for the past several months. Police recommend that people remain aware of their surroundings, and report suspicious behavior immediately to 911. Indecent exposure is a misdemeanor crime, but it becomes a felony if the suspect has a prior indecent-exposure conviction.
Police ask that anyone who may have information about these crimes contact the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by scary, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2013 at 9:53 am I hope the cops can catch this serial perp quickly. These incidents could easily escalate to physical violence, including rape.
Is there any possibility that this skinny white male is the same skinny white male that allegedly has been robbing local banks and drug stores?
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Posted by Elizabeth, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2013 at 10:34 am Remember folks, this is the age of cell phones with cameras.
I know if this happens to you, you're probably too shocked to think of it, but it's a powerful tool for helping police if you are in such a distressing situation.
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Posted by Old Town Paly Resident, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2013 at 10:54 am PLEASE PAPD catch this creep before he escalates his crimes and God Willing before he hits our schools and children!!!
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Posted by Parent, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2013 at 11:51 am This reminds me of my school days. I went to a private girls' school and for many years there was a flasher who would hang around after school looking for likely candidates to expose himself to. The police knew all about him saying he was harmless and if we laughed at him he would run away. I was never one of those who saw him and felt rather disappointed.
How times have changed!
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Posted by Cur Mudgeon, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2013 at 2:25 pm Years ago, Mitchell Park was where flashers went, to expose to our school kids, boys and girls alike. Even more years ago, I was flashed in my home city while waiting for the bus after school. I didn't realize I'd been flashed until afterward, when I thought about what I saw. My son was flashed in the boys' department at a Marshall's store, by a perv who held a newspaper in front of his "objectionable content."
Flashing happens. Take photos--but not too close up. : )
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Posted by Sally, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2013 at 2:56 pm "Years ago, Mitchell Park was where flashers went, to expose to our school kids, boys and girls alike."
I think that was true. However, once the Little League park got cleaned up, and the bums were cleared out, it had a spillover effect on Mitchell Park. I don't see the perverts over in that area very much, anymore.
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Posted by Nora Charles, a resident of Stanford, on Jan 11, 2013 at 4:12 pm So odd about these people.... I wonder what weird psychological tic compels them to do this? Very disconcerting, and I hope he, or they, are apprehended.
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Posted by stevil, a resident of the Esther Clark Park neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2013 at 6:12 pm [Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
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