Sacramento deputies arrest man accused of inappropriate behavior with kids at Goodwill store

Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies announced the arrest of a man they say acted inappropriately toward children and women inside a nonprofit thrift store in Antelope several times since late spring.

Investigators were first alerted to the 38-year-old male suspect on May 23 when a mother reported her 8-year-old daughter had been sexually assaulted the day before while shopping at the Goodwill location on the 4400 block of Elkhorn Boulevard at Walerga Road, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday.

The child told deputies she was playing dress up when a man touched himself inappropriately “several times” after exposing himself, the release said. The man also touched her inappropriately, deputies said.

Her mother, who was trying on clothes when the alleged assault happened, returned and fled from the store with her child, the release said.

The case was assigned to the detectives in the Sheriff’s Office unit tasked with child abuse and was under investigation.

Several months later, Goodwill’s security reached out to the Sheriff’s Office after the man was seen Sept. 30 on store video surveillance footage touching himself inappropriately while a young child perused toys with her mother, deputies said.

The same man had been recorded three days before reportedly sneaking his cellphone under a woman’s dress. Video footage identified this suspect as the same 38-year-old man sought by deputies, deputies said.

Detectives had difficulty locating the suspect but eventually caught up with him when he returned to Goodwill on Thursday, according to deputies.

The man was arrested on suspicion of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and annoying or molesting a victim under 18 years old, according to jail logs.

The suspect was being held on $100,000 bail in Sacramento County Main Jail and was scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday.

Those with information about the incidents or those who may know of another potential victim by the suspect are encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 916-874-5191.

The safety of employees is the top priority for Goodwill Industries of Sacramento Valley and Northern Nevada, president and CEO Ken Gosney said in a statement.

“Safety measures include violence prevention planning, training programs, security guards and security cameras and active monitoring,” he said.

The store has cameras and security personnel who are trained to de-escalate violence and aggressive behavior, Gosney said. Those personnel also maintain open lines of communication with the Sheriff’s Office and participate in joint training programs, he said.

Staff are also in the process of updating its camera system and “technology” to ensure safety for shoppers, Gosney said.

Customers are encouraged to report safety concerns or suspicious activity, he said.

This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 8:51 AM.