ORLANDO, Fla. — A sex offender suspected in several sexually-charged incidents in the Audubon Park area was arrested Thursday on a charge of loitering within 300 feet of where children congregate.
A warrant was issued earlier in the day for Jermetras Watson, 38. He was arrested at 1:49 p.m. by the Winter Park Police Department.
Watson is suspected of flashing a woman in Baldwin Park, and police said he told another he had “rape on his mind.”
Parents in Audubon Park were sent an email alert about the flashing incident warning them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
Watson is a registered sex offender who was arrested in May on a charge of exposing himself to a group of students at recess in Audubon Park.
Ten students told police they saw a man looking at them while exposing and touching himself inappropriately.
Officers arrested Watson on six second-degree felonies, but he was not prosecuted.
Court records show the state took no action on four charges and later entered a nolle prosequi for the other two, meaning they would no longer prosecute.
A sex offender since 1999, Watson has been arrested many times, including last month on suspicion of exposing himself to children in Winter Park.
Now that Audubon Park parents have been warned twice about Watson near their children’s school, they’re asking what happened after he was arrested the first time.
“What kind of probation is he on? Is it felony probation? Or why is he out still?” parent Matt Myers asked.
Former chief judge and WFTV legal analyst Belvin Perry explained sometimes children can’t testify well enough to secure a conviction.
“It’s proof problems, being able to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Perry.
A conviction on the charges could have put Watson in jail for 15 years for each charge.
Documents show Assistant State Attorney Deborah Barra asked a judge to keep Watson locked up because “there are no conditions of pretrial release that would ensure safety of children with the central Florida community.”
Channel 9's Kathi Belich will have the latest on this story on Eyewitness News at 4.