A man being accused of masturbating in public was arrested Monday by Gainesville Police.
Demytrius Wilkins, 19, was charged with loitering and prowling.
A GPD officer went to 1015 NW 21st Ave. on Monday around midnight and responded to a report of a suspect masturbating in the parking lot as residents walked by, according to the report.
On the scene, the officer identified Wilkins as matching the description.
When Wilkins saw the officer, he quickly turned and walked away from view, according to the report.
She caught up with Wilkins and saw him try to hide in a dark area near the building. When Wilkins saw her, he quickly turned and lunged forward but was detained.
After being read his Miranda rights, Wilkins said he did not live in this complex. He said he walks through the complex on his way to work in the morning, according to the report.
Based off the location of Wilkin’s home and job, the officer didn’t think it made sense for him to walk through the complex, according to the report. She also believed it was an unreasonable time for him to be at the complex.
When the officer told Wilkins about these inconsistencies, he changed his story and said he likes to walk around and listen to music, according to the report.
GPD has received about 12 calls within the past four weeks, all giving a similar description of Wilkins with the same description of the incident, but they were not able to locate the suspect, according to the report.
Law enforcement officers are also filing a sworn complaint against Wilkins for indecent exposure, according to the report.
Wilkins was released from Alachua County Jail on Monday morning. He was not given bond.
Wilkins told The Alligator this is the second time an officer stopped him to say he fits the description of someone they were looking for and that a witness saw him. The officers were different on both stops.
“It is too many times and it is not good,” Wilkins said. “This has happened too much, and it needs to stop.”
Follow Devoun Cetoute on Twitter @devoun_cetoute and contact him at dcetoute@alligator.org.
