He fell ‘out of his shorts’ in a Tacoma library but claimed he wasn’t exposing himself

A day after being released from jail for indecent exposure, a man was caught exposing himself in a Tacoma public library and told police he just fell “out of his shorts,” court records say.

The 35-year-old went to the library Saturday and sat on a small step stool watching an employee move books from one aisle to another.

“They made eye contact and (the librarian) became uncomfortable,” according to charging papers.

The employee moved to another aisle, and so did the man.

She noticed his hands were near his groin so she returned to the first aisle and knelt to put away books.

The man followed and took his seat back on the step stool.

At one point, she noticed the man was masturbating and notified security guards.

When police spoke to the man, he said “the only thing he was guilty of was wearing his shorts low,” according to charging papers. “He later told the officer who transported him to jail that his penis may have fallen out of his shorts.”

The man has a warrant for indecent exposure from Oregon and two prior indecent exposure convictions.

He was released from jail the day before the library incident.

On Monday, the man pleaded not guilty to indecent exposure and was released on $100,000 bail.

This story was originally published December 18, 2018 at 10:02 AM.