A 34-year-old Folsom man with a history of indecent exposure arrests is back in custody, this time held on $350,000 bail after police say he exposed himself to shoppers at two businesses inside The Palladio shopping center. Clifford Robinson was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on Tuesday on suspicion of felony indecent exposure along with additional misdemeanor charges. Investigators say there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.
The arrest, first reported by ABC10, followed reports Folsom police received of lewd conduct at two Palladio businesses last Saturday. In a statement posted to Facebook, the Folsom Police Department said Robinson was present at the outdoor shopping center for roughly five hours, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and that officers responded to a report at Barnes & Noble before learning of a similar incident at Sun & Shade. Robinson had already left the Barnes & Noble area by the time officers arrived, according to the department.
Detectives Ask Possible Victims to Come Forward
Detectives are asking anyone who believes they encountered Robinson at The Palladio last Saturday to contact Detective Howard by email at [email protected]. Investigators released Robinson's photo specifically to help identify additional people who may have crossed paths with him during his hours-long presence at the retail center, which spans roughly 700,000 square feet at East Bidwell Street and Palladio Parkway, according to Malls.com.
Bail Climbs Sharply From His Last Arrest
This is not Robinson's first indecent exposure arrest in the Sacramento region. In May 2024, Rancho Cordova police arrested him on suspicion of felony indecent exposure after he allegedly exposed himself to a woman at a Sunrise Boulevard car wash the previous March, according to CBS Sacramento. That victim was able to drive away and notify law enforcement, and Robinson was released within hours after posting a $10,000 bond. His bail this time is 35 times higher.
A 2016 Conviction and a Hiring Gap at Cal Fire
Robinson's record dates back to December 2016, when a Santa Cruz County jury convicted him on three misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure tied to a 2015 incident in which he exposed himself to a housekeeper, resulting in probation and mandatory sex offender registration, according to KCRA. The station's investigation found that Robinson was hired as a Cal Fire firefighter that same May, months after he had first been charged, because the agency did not conduct pre-employment background checks for most staff at the time; Cal Fire told the station it was unaware of his prior arrest when it hired him. Court records cited by the station show Robinson previously attributed his behavior to "total stupidity." It remains unclear whether Robinson was still employed by Cal Fire at the time of his Folsom arrest.
Why a Repeat Offense Becomes a Felony
California law helps explain why Robinson's latest arrest carries felony weight. Under Penal Code Section 314, a first indecent exposure offense is charged as a misdemeanor, but subsequent convictions automatically elevate the charge to a felony punishable by state prison time, according to EG Attorneys. Any conviction under that statute also triggers registration as a sex offender under Penal Code Section 290 for a minimum of ten years, regardless of whether the offense is charged as a misdemeanor or felony, per FindLaw.
