An incident of alleged indecent exposure has led to the arrest of a 77-year-old man at a Gilbert bookstore. Gilbert Police officials reported that Loren Bauer was taken into custody after reportedly exposing himself in the children's section of a bookstore located at San Tan Village Parkway and Williams Field Road on February 16. The arrest occurred following a call to police at around 4:19 p.m., whereupon officers found the man and later apprehended him driving away from the scene, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Bauer is currently facing charges for alleged public sexual indecency and alleged public sexual indecency in the presence of minors, as he was booked into jail following his detention. "The male subject, later identified as 77-year-old Loren Clyde Bauer, exited the bookstore and was seen driving away. Officers were able to locate Mr. Bauer’s vehicle and detained him shortly afterward without incident," a portion of the police statement detailed. Additional allegations of DUI and possession of an open alcohol container in a vehicle have been submitted to the Town of Gilbert Prosecutor's Office, as per FOX 10 Phoenix.
Further compounding the gravity of the situation, ABC15 has reported that this is not the first such incident involving Bauer. He has a substantial history of similar charges, with more than two dozen arrests related to indecent exposure across multiple states, including Minnesota, Colorado, Florida, and Texas, with charges dating between 2002 and 2024. Court paperwork indicates that Bauer showed "no remorse or regret" for his alleged actions.
In the aftermath, Bauer faces three counts of public sexual indecent contact and one count of sexual indecent exposure with a minor present in connection to the Gilbert Barnes and Noble incident. Witnesses were able to aid the police by providing a description of Bauer and his vehicle, leading to his arrest shortly after the incident. Police reports further indicated that Bauer's vehicle contained open containers of alcohol, and officers noted the smell of alcohol on his breath at the time of the arrest.
