Photo shows man allegedly fondling self near Arden Arcade preschool, cops investigating
Law enforcement authorities are investigating reports of a man allegedly exposing himself this week in several locations in the Arden Arcade area, including a preschool, amid a recent rash of incident exposure cases across the capital region.
Preschool teacher Jessica Hancock posted a photo to Facebook showing a man she called a “child predator standing behind some bushes fondling himself” at her school. The censored photo shows the man looking into the camera and pulling down the front of his sweatpants.
Hancock said she did not want to share the name of the preschool for privacy reasons, but asked for the community’s help in identifying the man.
Hancock wrote on Facebook that she and parents called 911 and that the man was eventually taken into custody, though deputies were slow to respond. In a later update, she said she saw the same man standing outside of a different school Wednesday, and claimed he had been spotted by others at a grocery store.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the indecent exposure incidents alleged in the social media post, spokesman Sgt. Shaun Hampton confirmed.
Hampton said deputies were unable to immediately respond to 911 calls, as noted in Hancock’s post, due to an “unrelated stabbing nearby.”
As of Thursday morning, no name has been released for the suspect. Hancock’s original post has been shared nearly 8,000 times on Facebook.
Since February, law enforcement officials in the region have been warning the public to keep a lookout for men exposing themselves in public. Sacramento police say they are looking for a man believed to have exposed himself to others in public on at least eight occasions dating back to November. In other case, Sacramento and Elk Grove police say they are seeking a man involved in numerous cases of incident exposure since Jan. 30.
In those cases, police said that any witnesses with information pertaining to these incidents should contact the dispatch center at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Witnesses can also submit an anonymous tip using the free “P3 Tips” smartphone app. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.
This story was originally published March 28, 2019 at 10:22 AM.
