A 37-year-old Marion County man, who claimed to be “aroused” by a cashier at a local Dollar General, was arrested after he allegedly began masturbating inside the store.
On Friday, June 13, several Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Dollar General located at 19552 SW 56th Lane in Dunnellon in reference to a “suspicious incident.” A manager advised that at around 8:30 a.m., a man – later identified as Phillip Jones, Jr. – was “clearly exposing his genitals” while exiting the store, according to the arrest report.
An MCSO corporal noted in the report that video surveillance footage of the incident showed the suspect, Jones, “digging into his pants and touching what appears to be his genitals.” The report further stated that Jones’ penis appeared to be “erect,” and he was allegedly moving his right arm in a “stroking motion around his genital area.”
According to the report, Jones had approached a cashier shortly before the incident, and his hands were “down by his sides.” The cashier told deputies that Jones had “asked if she was single,” and he allegedly attempted to “get her phone number.”
The cashier advised that she was unsure if Jones was exposing himself during the incident. However, she told deputies that Jones may have exposed himself earlier in the week, though she did not report it to law enforcement, according to the report.
A week after the incident, on June 20, MCSO deputies responded to Jones’ home in Dunnellon, where they made contact with him. After being read his Miranda rights, Jones allegedly admitted to “exposing himself” at the Dollar General.
The report stated that Jones further admitted to entering the store at the time of the incident to “masturbate” because he was “aroused by the cashier.” During the post-Miranda interview, Jones allegedly mentioned that he has masturbated in public on previous occasions due to “random urges” that he gets.
Jones was placed under arrest and booked into Marion County Jail on a $1,000 bond. He is being charged with indecent exposure of sexual organs.
As of 1 p.m. on Monday, June 23, a booking photo of Phillips was not yet available.