CLERMONT, Fla. – A man was arrested Sunday in Clermont after police said he exposed himself to at least two 13-year-olds, jumped in a lake and hid under a boat dock to try to evade arrest.
Officers arrested Victor Nieves-Mendez, 74, after pulling him out of the water at Lake Minneola, according to the arrest affidavit.
Police said the victims were standing near the water when they realized Nieves-Mendez was watching them from across the park. Officers said the man then exposed his genitals to the teens, prompting their guardian to call police.
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The guardian told Nieves-Mendez they had called officers, at which point the man jumped into the lake, records show.
After officers pulled the man from the water, they questioned him. He claimed he was stretching nearby and ran when the police were called because he had a previous record of sex offenses, the affidavit said.
Officers said they asked the man whether he had exposed himself intentionally. Nieves-Mendez said he was not sure, records show.
He faces a charge of exposure of sexual organs.