ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — While police have a description and the name of a possible suspect in a flashing incident last week in Audubon Park, officers said they do not have enough evidence at this point to make an arrest.
Parents in Audubon Park were sent an email alert about the incident warning them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
A registered sex offender arrested in May on a charge of exposing himself to a group of students at recess in Audubon Park matches the description of the most recent suspect, but detectives do not have enough probable cause in the current case to make an arrest.
The man arrested in May, Jermetras Watson, 38, was not prosecuted in the case.
Ten students told police they saw a man at recess looking at them while exposing and touching himslef inappropriately.
Officers arrested Watson on six second-degree felonies.
Court records show the state took no action on four charges and later entered a nolle prosegui for the other two, meaning they would no longer prosecute.
A sex offender since 1999, Watson has been arrested many times, including last month for allegedly exposing himself to children in Winter Park.
This month, Orlando police think he may have flashed a woman in Baldwin Park and told another woman he had “rape on his mind.”
Now that Audobon Park parents have been warned twice about Watson near their children’s school, they’re asking what happened when he was arrested the first time.
“What kind of probation is he on? Is it felony probation? Or why is he out still?” said parent Matt Myers.
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 said 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 asked police for an update on the case where a man exposed himself to a woman in Baldwin Park. Detectives said they are having a hard time getting a positive ID on the suspect.
Previous Stories:
Search continues for sex offender believed to have exposed himself outside school
Downtown Orlando school warns parents of sex-offender sighting
Orlando police arrest man accused of exposing himself to elementary school students
Police: Sex offender caught staring at children in Maitland
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