A 77-year-old Anthony man was charged Monday with indecent exposure after neighbors reported seeing him masturbating multiple times in public view and provided a video of him doing it.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy on Feb. 9 that he saw the older man staying in the lot across from his residence, Lawrence N. Cox, masturbating. He said he could see Cox’s penis because the front door was open about four inches, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said he believed Cox was masturbating to his children. He said he had seen Cox rubbing himself before but had never seen his genitals until this incident. The victim said after seeing Cox masturbating while his children were present in the front yard, he walked over to Cox’s residence and confronted him, the report said.
The victim said when he approached the house, he could see Cox standing inside his residence wearing a brown T-shirt with blue boxers pulled down to his thighs, with his genitals completely exposed, according to the report.
The deputy spoke with Cox’s wife, who said she wasn’t home at the time of the incident. But she said she has seen him multiple times appearing to be rubbing his private parts inside his clothing while looking out the window of the residence, the report said.
The next day, another deputy responded to the victim’s residence, where his wife said she saw Cox standing at his door with his penis in his hand and shaking it. She said she and her husband were able to record it on their cell phone, according to the report.
The deputy viewed the video, which showed Cox open the door to his residence slightly, pull out his penis and place it in his hand. The video then showed Cox shaking his penis in an up and down motion while looking through the door, the report said.
During the reported incidents, the victim and his wife were able to see Cox’s penis from their private property, as he would open the door enough that it was visible from their home, according to the report.
A deputy who followed up on the case on Monday determined probable cause existed to charge Cox with two counts of indecent exposure. The deputy asked Cox’s caregiver if he has dementia and she said she wasn’t sure, the report said.
Cox was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was being held Wednesday on $2,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on March 17.