Parents in a Pasco County community are frustrated that someone they consider a predator has still been roaming the streets. That man, pleaded guilty to child abuse a year ago after exposing himself to kids at a bus stop, and was arrested again this week.
Ever since that bus stop incident, neighbors say the suspect's been seen hanging around outside a house just a block from Richey Elementary School in New Port Richey. And Tuesday was arrested again this time right in front of the school.
Kids play outside every day at Richey Elementary. But parents in the neighborhood are worried about a convicted offender in the area, Rune Jacobsen.
Angela Weber and her three kids have had several run-ins with the 62-year-old man, including one right in her driveway with her four-year-old daughter.
"I walked over and noticed a man who was apparently drunk, had approached my child, and I asked him to leave my property," said Weber.
Just weeks later, Jacobsen was arrested at a bus stop less than a block from her home for exposing himself to kids. He was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, and later pleaded guilty to child abuse.
"I just had that motherly vibe there was definitely something weird," said Weber.
Tuesday, deputies cuffed Jacobsen right outside the school on a trespassing warrant from Hillsborough County.
The challenge for deputies is that Jacobsen was never forced to register as a sex offender, so they can't stop him from being near a school. That's why Angela Weber and another parent put his picture on Facebook to warn other families.
"You know, watch out for this guy. Keep an eye on him at the parks and at the schools," said Weber.
And deputies encourage you to report anything suspicious right away to help keep kids safe.
As of late Wednesday, Jacobsen was still in the Pasco Co. jail on $1,000 bond and will have to answer to his trespassing charge in Hillsborough County. Parents in Port Richey are hoping that keeps him out of their neighborhood.
