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Palo Alto Police Link 2 Indecent Exposure Arrests To Earlier Incidents

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- Palo Alto police made two arrests in indecent exposure cases this week and are investigating whether one suspect might be connected to two previous incidents as well.

The first arrest occurred Wednesday, when a woman in her 70s called police around 8:30 a.m. to report that a man had exposed himself near Juana Briones Park, according to Officer Marcos Estrada.

Officers arriving on the scene located and detained a suspect matching the description given by the victim driving a dark green 1994 Mazda minivan away from the area, Estrada said.

The victim told them she had seen the suspect walking back and forth on the sidewalk on the 4100 block of Clemo Avenue, allegedly masturbating through his clothes. The suspect then allegedly dropped his pants to expose his buttocks and touched himself in a sexual manner, at which point the victim called police.

Police arrested Stephen Timothy Frey, a 22-year-old resident of Happy Valley, Oregon, on suspicion of indecent exposure and lewd conduct in public, both misdemeanors. He was released with a criminal citation.

Although the incident occurred during the morning school commute, police said no children appear to have seen Frey and there is no evidence his action was directed at children, Estrada said.

On Thursday, a woman called police around 11:30 a.m. to report that a suspect had exposed himself to her around 10 minutes earlier on the 500 block of Everett Court. The woman, who did not have a cell phone on her, had called police as soon as she reached a phone, Estrada said.

The suspect, described as an "unkempt" and potbellied white male in his 30s wit long curly hair, apparently lifted his shirt and lowered his shorts as he walked toward the victim.

Detectives located a suspect matching the description on the 500 block of Everett Court Friday morning, who was wearing similar clothing to that described by the victim. The victim was able to positively identity him.

Police arrested Richard Kelly McCloskey, a 39-year-old Stockton resident, on suspicion of indecent exposure and for felony probation violation. McCloskey is on active probation in Santa Clara County for a prior conviction of burglary, Estrada said.

Investigators are looking at possible links between Frey and previous indecent exposure incidents that occurred on Jan. 8 and 10.

Those incidents occurred within half a mile of each other, at 440 Portage Ave. and in a parking lot on Sherman Avenue. The suspect in the first incident was described as a white man who is about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 180 pounds and has dark hair, according to police.

Frey is described as a white male, around 6 feet 5 inches tall, with a thin build. He has short brown hair and at the time of this week's incident he was wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans. Anyone who has seen a man matching his description loitering in the area where these incidents occurred should contact police at (650) 329-2413.

McCloskey is not considered a suspect in the earlier incidents, because he does not fit the descriptions given by victims, Estrada said.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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