Daytona Beach police arrest man accused of touching self while watching children

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Channel 9's Blaine Tolison spoke to a Daytona Beach hotel manager who helped police arrest a man accused of committing lewd acts near children.

Boardwalk Inn manager Dev Bhakta was monitoring more than a dozen cameras when he saw Bryan Swaim, 47, allegedly touching himself while watching children swim.

"I got a little girl, too, and I didn't want him going anywhere else, you know," said Bhatka.

Authorities said Swaim sneaked onto the South Atlantic Avenue property and was climbing a staircase when Bhatka noticed him on the cameras.

"He didn't have a wristband, so I knew he didn't belong here," said Bhatka. "(I) ran after him, saw what he was doing and gave him a little quick chase to his house and called the cops."

Swaim was arrested at his nearby apartment on Vermont Avenue.

Police Chief Mike Chitwood says without the hotel's added security, Swaim may have escaped and it drives home his point of why hotels need to help fight crime.

"We're all in this together," said Chitwood. "It just can't be the Police Department. The hotels have to take ownership and the Boardwalk Inn did."

Swaim has been arrested 10 times for lewd and lascivious assault and indecent exposure since 1985, but he was not a registered sex offender. Chitwood said his previous crimes did not rise to that level.

"I mean, here's a guy we pick off and hopefully this time the judge will make sure he doesn't get out of jail and he gets labeled as a sexual offender because this is something he's done over and over and over again," said Chitwood.

Swaim was charged with lewd and lascivious acts and loitering and prowling in a place frequented by children. He is currently in jail without bond.

WFTV