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Homeless man arrested for exposing himself to children in park bathroom

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Isaiah Valentin, 27, was arrested yesterday at Veterans Park and charged with lewd/lascivious exhibition and other charges after allegedly exposing himself to children in the bathroom at the park.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to Veterans Park (7400 SW 41st Place) at about 2:14 p.m. yesterday in response to a call from a teacher who was supervising a field trip. She said several students had reported that a man was masturbating in the bathroom.

The teacher reportedly went into the bathroom and told the man to come out, but he stayed in the stall. When the deputy arrived, he went into the bathroom, identified himself as law enforcement, and asked the man, later identified as Valentin, to come out. Valentin reportedly came out of the stall with his wrists together and asked, “Am I in trouble?”

The deputy learned that two boys initially went into the bathroom, which has one stall and several urinals. One of the boys, a 12-year-old, noticed that there was a man in the stall, and he could see through a crack in the door that the man was “touching his private parts.” The boy reportedly asked the man, “Why are you doing that?” but the man did not reply and continued touching himself.

The second boy also reportedly told the deputy that he could see the man “pleasuring himself” and could see the man’s “private parts.”

Several other students entered the bathroom but left when they saw the man in the stall. Three students reportedly told the deputy that they could see the man’s genitals and that the man was touching himself.

Valentin reportedly gave several false names to the deputy before he was identified via his social security number. Post Miranda, he reportedly declined to speak to the deputy.

The deputy charged the man with lewd/lascivious exhibition in the presence of a victim under 16 years old because after the first boy made the man aware that he was visible to juveniles, the man continued to masturbate. Valentin was also charged with giving false identification information to an officer.

A search at the jail reportedly produced a bag containing a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. Valentin reportedly told a detention officer that he’d forgotten he had the drugs. He was charged with introduction of contraband to a detention facility and possession of methamphetamine.

While officers were completing the arrest paperwork, three officers reportedly saw Valentin masturbating in his cell while visible to others.

Valentin, who is described as homeless in court documents, has two felony convictions (two violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $75,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

    • As the back-Ward Mayor of Gainesville I will make sure this man is also hired an ambassador of Gainesville. My plan of making homeless people ambassadors with money I take from our taxpayers will help solve these issues. This man will now be able to afford a private residence with the $64,000 salary. In his private residence, he will be able to continue practicing the snake training that he was working so diligently when he was at the veterans Park.

  • All on the GNV and county commissioners for their homeless over citizen safety policies.

  • Once that meth wears off in a couple days he will stop doing this behavior.

    • Yup! That’s why meth (and other stimulate) addicts will tell you it will make you screw a hole in the wall. Also known as the make you gay drug.

      • Makes one wonder if the over prescribing of ADHD pills and the parabolic rise in young gay people are correlated…

  • He’s a great addition to the town and will fit right in. Welcome comrade. I’m sure there is room for him at Grace.

    • Please explain your comment. What do you know about Santa Fe High School that the general public does not? Just wondering.

  • He’ll probably get a chance to finish eventually. Hopefully the other inmates get wind of his charges and police report and do what the court system won’t do

  • Good thing he wasn’t wearing a dress, or they would have been forced to let him go.

  • A violent drug addicted chronic bater who needs to go away for a while. I hope the SAO and court don’t try drug diversion orders. I think we are past that

  • Commissioner Saco probably wishes she was called to “handle” his situation.

  • After reading the article, this man didnt expose himself to children! They were peaking thru the cracks on him! He was expecting some privacy in a closed stall. He wasnt running ar

    • You weren’t even able to finish your sentence because you knew deep down just how wrong your assessment was.

      It is not acceptable, nor legal, to tweak out on meth and masturbate in a public restroom stall while children are all around. You act like it only crosses the line if he was “running ar(ound)” the park doing it. Wth?
      Do you also feel obligated to defend him for trying to finish in the jail in front of other inmates and officers?

      Overly-socialized, weak minded people like you cause just as much chaos in society by coddling drug addled pervs. Some actions are just not acceptable…stop defending the dregs of society

    • Maybe you can invite him into your home and you two can have private waxing time. The report seems to indicate that Skinner did not have door closed all the way or locked.

  • The scourge of libs looking the other way has only enabled MORE perversions on our children. Not less 🤡👿👹👺💩

  • The guy was choking his lizard and got caught by a couple kids. They should put this guy and the “splatter art” homeless guy in the same cell.
    Granted, wrong place, wrong time and all, but what’s a 12 year old doing looking between the crack in a bathroom stall? Just another reason to watch your step when using a public bathroom.

  • “California, Here we Come
    Right back where we started from
    Where bowers of homeless perverts
    Bloom in the spring
    Each morning at dawning
    homeless stink at everything
    A sunkissed miss said, “Don’t masturbate!”
    That’s why I can hardly wait
    Open up that golden gate
    California, Here I Come”

  • It sounds like he left the door “cracked” (not closed all the way).

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