Gainesville Police charged a man — whom they believe is responsible for a string of indecent exposures — with one of the incidents.
Police are unsure if one man is responsible for the exposures that happened both on and off UF campus.
On Jan. 14, Gainesville resident Willie Strawder, 29, entered Three Rivers Legal Services and exposed himself to a receptionist, GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias wrote in an email.
Strawder stared at her from outside the glass window while holding his crotch, according to the email. He then walked into the waiting room and sat down.
When asked if he was waiting to see someone, Strawder said no, according to the email.
The receptionist allowed him to stay and continued to work at her desk, according to the email. After looking up, she saw Strawder standing in the corner of the lobby, exposing his penis and masturbating.
Strawder was gone after the woman returned from getting help, according to the email.
About a month later, after multiple exposures by unknown suspects, Strawder was arrested for trespassing at Fat Daddy’s Bar in Midtown, Tobias wrote.
After conducting a photo lineup, the receptionist identified Strawder, Tobias wrote. He matched witness descriptions from other exposures, but no other women could identify his photo, Tobias said.
Due to the fact that indecent exposure is a misdemeanor, police cannot hold Strawder accountable for the other exposures without witnessing the crime, Tobias wrote.
In response, GPD has issued a sworn complaint to the State Attorney’s Office, GPD spokesman officer Ben Tobias wrote in a separate email.
Authorities took Strawder to the Alachua County Jail where, as of press time, he remains in lieu of a $2,000 bond.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
