Shoppers at a Wheaton Dollar Tree got an unwelcome surprise last month when a man was seen masturbating in plain view of other customers before slipping out of the store. Montgomery County police are now asking the public for help tracking him down, nearly a month after the incident unfolded inside the discount retailer on University Boulevard West.
According to DC News Now, the incident happened on Sept. 26 at about 6:30 p.m. Police say the suspect was observed in the store masturbating in the presence of other shoppers before leaving the scene, and investigators have released only a general description as they work to identify him.
What Police Know About the Suspect
The man is described as Black, in his 30s or 40s, with his hair in a bun and a mustache. He was last seen wearing light blue jeans and a dark jacket, the outlet reports. The Montgomery County Police Department is asking anyone who recognizes him or who has information about the incident to come forward.
Anyone with details is urged to call 866-411-8477. No further information about the man's identity, an arrest or any charges has been released.
Similar Cases Reported in Pennsylvania
The Wheaton case comes several weeks after reports of comparable incidents at Dollar Tree stores in Pennsylvania, though the reports involved different conduct. In early August, police in Delaware and Bucks counties investigated three separate incidents at Dollar Tree locations within just a few days of each other, according to WGAL.
The first happened Aug. 3 in Prospect Park, Delaware County, where officers looked into a report that someone had touched a young girl inappropriately inside a store. The following day, police allege 30-year-old Anthony Oates grabbed and exposed himself while performing a lewd act near female customers at a Dollar Tree in Morrisville, Bucks County. A third shopper reported seeing a man expose himself in an aisle at a Springfield Township Dollar Tree on Aug. 5, the outlet notes.
Investigators Flagged a Possible Online Trend
In the Pennsylvania cases, Anthony Maurice Oates, 30, of Trenton, New Jersey, was accused of stalking and exposing himself to women at both Michaels and Dollar Tree stores in Bucks County, with police saying he grabbed himself and exposed himself while two women stood in the same aisle at the Falls Township location, per NBC Philadelphia. Oates was charged with stalking, indecent exposure, open lewdness, disorderly conduct and harassment, the station reports, and police were also searching separately for a man accused of exposing himself to customers at the Springfield Township store.
Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney told the station that investigators suspected Oates' behavior was tied to an online trend involving sexual misconduct in retail stores, in which men reportedly encourage each other to enter stores and perform lewd acts, sometimes posting videos afterward. Police said men involved in the alleged trend tend to target unsuspecting female customers, frequently at Dollar Tree locations. WGAL reported that warrants remained active for all three Pennsylvania suspects. The Pennsylvania reports involved stores in that state, while the Wheaton incident took place in Maryland.
