For the second time this month, a homeless man has been charged with exposing himself near or at an Oahu public school.
Police said Andrew Turner, 21, was charged with indecent exposure following the incident near Central Middle School on Tuesday morning.
Turner was arrested at Pali Highway and Vineyard Boulevard at 9:34 a.m. on the sidewalk at the fence behind the school after a woman reported the incident, police said.
A state Department of Education spokeswoman said a letter will be sent to Central Middle School parents informing them that the incident, reported by a member of the school’s staff to police, occurred off campus.
On Nov. 18 at Waikele Elementary School, another homeless man allegedly exposed himself to two girls inside a restroom near the cafeteria. Elijah Spriggs-Kahalewai, 21, is being held at Oahu Community Correctional Center on two counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree sexual assault and harassment, and one count each of open lewdness and simple trespass. Bail was set at $6,000.
He is undergoing a mental examination to determine his fitness to stand trial. A hearing on the findings of the examination will be held in District Court on Dec. 21.
Police said Spriggs-Kahalewai exposed himself to two girls in the restroom after walking around the campus with his pants down. The alleged incident occurred at 3:15 p.m. after classes ended.
A witness contacted police after he and his family saw the suspect masturbating on the school grounds.
According to a police report, the witness followed Spriggs-Kahalewai through the Waikele Elementary School basketball courts and saw him enter a girl’s bathroom near the cafeteria. The witness heard two girls screaming and yelled at the suspect through the closed door.
Spriggs-Kahalewai ran out of the bathroom and was followed by two school staff members who stopped and held him on the street fronting the school until police arrived, the report said.
According to the police report, one of the girls said the suspect told them to be quiet by placing his finger to his lips and pulled down his pants. The other girl tried to open the door but was stopped by the suspect who grabbed her arm, the report said.
According to the Hawaii Criminal Justice Center, Spriggs-Kahalewai was convicted in March of lewdness and sentenced to five days in jail.
His other convictions include misdemeanor crimes of theft, trespass, criminal property damage and assault, beginning in 2013.
