WOOD RIVER - A woman unloading groceries into her car in the parking lot of the Wood River Wal-Mart accidentally hit a neighboring car with her door, and she found something disturbing when she tried to apologize.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
After accidentally "dinging" a mid-2000s black Chevrolet Malibu parked directly next to her, the woman said she went to the driver's side window to apologize. As soon as she was able to say "sorry," she said she realized the man was performing a sexual act on himself. Despite her presence in the situation, she said the man did not stop, and instead carried on - even saying "you're fine" as he continued with his inappropriate business. The woman then said she called police immediately after pretending not to notice the man's behavior while she was looking into his car from an open window.
Wood River Deputy Police Chief Dan Bunt confirmed there was a report of such behavior between 9:30-10 a.m. in that parking lot. He said neither the woman nor the man were still in the parking lot when police arrived, which Bunt said was just after the call was received.
"Whoever reported it did not stick around," Bunt said. "It's not a common call. I don't blame her for not sticking around, she must have been pretty shaken up by the whole thing."
Bunt said, if caught, the man could be charged with disorderly conduct or indecent exposure - depending on if the person committing the offense is making contact with the person as he is doing it.
"Honestly, I was so surprised and taken aback, I hurried up and pretended I didn't see anything, and got the rest of my groceries in my car," the woman said via social media message. "He left within a few minutes of me pretending I didn't see anything and was gone before I finished packing my groceries. But his window was all the way down! I have no idea if he was doing this before I got out to my car, but if he was, it did not bother him at all that I was there. It didn't scare him or freak him out. He just kept at it."
The woman described the man as a black male in his late 20s to early 30s at the oldest. She said his hair was sloppy and unkempt and he was heavy-set. He was driving what she believed was a 2006 black or very dark navy blue Chevrolet Malibu.
Anyone with any information on this is invited to call the Wood River Police Department at (618) 251-3113.
More like this:
