Man Accused Of Indecent Exposure At Wal-Mart Store Reporting

Jun 18, 2008 5:47 pm US/Central

Man Accused Of Indecent Exposure At Wal-Mart Store Reporting

Katherine Blake FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―

A man is under arrest for his alleged indecent behavior at a North Texas Wal-Mart store. According to police his victims were female shoppers - both adult and children.

The suspect was inside the Wal-Mart in the 8400 block of Anderson Boulevard for about an hour. Officers say he wasn't buying anything… just looking. Fortunately, the females he was focusing on didn't know what was happening.

A theft prevention officer first spotted Lazaro Baragana on the security cameras around 8:30 Tuesday night. The 36-year-old man was allegedly wandering up and down the aisles, talking to children and staring at girls and women.

When security first started watching Baragana they thought he might be a purse snatcher, but they soon noticed that on several occasions the man had his hand in his shorts.

"As they continued to watch him, they noticed movement in his crotch area from his left hand being in his pocket. And now they're looking at this guy 'cause he's a pervert," explained Fort Worth police Lt. Paul Henderson.

At one point the man allegedly went to the grocery area of the store, where he zeroed in on a girl in the seafood section. What happened next was all caught on surveillance video.

"While she's talking to the Wal-Mart employee at the seafood counter, he begins to unzip his shorts, puts his hand in his crotch area and starts giving him a little good time there in front of the cameras," Henderson said.

When Baragana was finally confronted and arrested he reportedly asked the security officer to erase the surveillance video. Police didn't erase the tape, but say they will not release it to the public.

Baragana, a truck driver who lives in Kansas, is a Cuban national whose green card expires this month. For now he remains in jail, accused of indecent exposure.

Baragana's case will likely be referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

http://cbs11tv.com/local/indecent.behavior.wal.2.751507.html