Prosecutors say a La Center man who allegedly exposed himself to a 6-year-old girl outside a milkshake stand at the Lewisville Market is a repeat offender.
Martin Eugene Wood, 60, appeared Friday in Clark County Superior Court to face an allegation of indecent exposure, a second offense. He was convicted in 2006 of indecent exposure in Spokane County, court records show. He is set to be arraigned Thursday.
The victim’s mother called 911 about 5:45 p.m. Aug. 30 after her daughter told her a man exposed himself to her. The mother said she had taken her daughter to the market, 27000 N.E. Lewisville Highway, to get milkshakes. She parked her vehicle and locked the doors with her daughter inside, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
When she returned from the milkshake stand, her daughter was “acting funny,” she said, and asked if the vehicle’s windows were rolled up. She asked her daughter why she was concerned about the windows, and the girl said, “That man has been showing me his penis.” The mother then saw an older man seated in the driver’s seat of a white Chevrolet pickup parked next to her vehicle, the affidavit says.
The girl told her mother the man had been staring at her with his penis out. Her mother photographed the man in his vehicle and took photos of his pickup as he drove from the parking lot. She provided the photos and license plate number to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the court document states.
After conducting a records check of the pickup, a deputy discovered a “suspect contact” had been made at the associated address for a previous report of indecent exposure. The report was linked to two additional, unrelated reports from outside agencies, all listing Wood as a suspect in indecent exposure incidents. Wood’s driver’s license photo appeared to match the photos that the victim’s mother took in the parking lot, according to the affidavit.
The deputy went to Wood’s home and found the pickup there. Wood confirmed he was at the market around that time to buy peaches. He denied having contact with or seeing any girls. He also denied staring at anyone or exposing himself, the court document states.
When the deputy followed up with Wood earlier this week, Wood, unprovoked, said, “That lady’s car windows were so tinted, I couldn’t see if anyone was inside it. I didn’t know there was anyone in the backseat.” The deputy asked Wood why his penis was out, and he responded, “I didn’t know it was out. I wasn’t wearing any underwear, so I guess that’s my fault,” the affidavit reads.
Wood was subsequently booked into the Clark County Jail. He is being held on $30,000 bail, court records show.
