A Brooksville man is facing lewd and lascivious charges after police say he was masturbating and exposed himself in the Walmart parking lot.
It happened around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Walmart on 7305 Broad Street.
A 19-year-old and her 9-year-old brother were putting away groceries when police say the 9-year-old spotted a man in a car nearby exposing himself and masturbating. He told his sister about it and they quickly both got in the car and left.
According to the arrest report, police say that suspect is 22-year-old Caleb Carroll.
Carroll is accused of following the teenager and her brother to a Subway nearby. Police say the teenager was scared after realizing she was being followed and immediately called her mom and then 911.
"They were very explicit with their details and what they saw. There wasn’t any doubt in their mind what he was doing. It's shocking," said Lt. Alan Whitacre with the Brooksville Police Department.
Officers responded quickly and arrested Carroll without incident.
Carroll was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious exhibition in the presence of a minor. He was transported to Hernando County Jail and held on $5,000.00 bond.
Police say this should serve as a reminder to be aware of your surroundings. They say in this case the victims did the right thing.
“They were vigilant. They kept their eyes open. They maintained awareness of what was going on around them. They saw it before it turned into something worse," said Lt. Whitacre.
