A man from Boston is facing jail time after recent allegations of him performing a lewd act at a local MBTA station. Francis Costa Jr., aged 56, is accused of open and gross lewdness—a charge carrying significant repercussions, especially for those with prior records.
Held without bail for a window of 90 days, Costa's liberty was stripped away as Judge Christopher Henry responded to the severity of the offense, considering his history dotted with similar transgressions—the bail in a concurrent case involving property vandalism and assault was revoked, as reported by the Suffolk District Attorney's Office. With Costa's $3,000 bail now a matter of the past, the authorities have signified the communal lines Costa allegedly crossed. October 8th has been scheduled for a pre-trial hearing to further explore these allegations against him.
The incident in question shook the ordinary flow of life at the Beachmont station, bringing a disturbance into the morning commute. According to the victim's account, the experience was jarring—seeing a man on the opposite platform, engaged in indecent exposure at an early hour. The transit police swiftly followed up on the report after it was filed on the 6th of August. Drawing from the accounts detailed, Costa seemed to fit the surveillance footage and the victim's description of the perpetrator, dressed in a dark blue polo shirt matched with blue jeans and black sneakers.
The responding officers' inquiry, placed before Costa, met with an admission of his presence at both Beachmont and Maverick stations that morning; with an insistence that he had urinated on the platforms, which was shared in the statement obtained by the Suffolk District Attorney's Office. His response, however, did little to sway the legal proceedings. An arrest was made promptly, devoid of further complication.
Costa's record, harboring convictions for indecent exposure and similar charges, spans an alarming 10 pages. This detail stands as a statement to recurring behavioral patterns. Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden expressed relief over the prompt action of the victim and authorities: "I am very sorry for what this woman witnessed, but I am very happy that she acted quickly and called police and I’m also happy that Transit and Boston police worked so effectively to bring the suspect into custody. An incident like this is intolerable at any time but the fact that it happened at peak commuting time makes it all the more egregious," Hayden conveyed in the aforementioned release by the Suffolk District Attorney's Office.
