San Carlos Man Arrested For Alleged Lewd Conduct In Car

By DAVE COLBY (Patch Staff)

PALO ALTO -Palo Alto police have arrested a man on a single charge of lewd conduct after an alleged incident in a parked car last month.

Police say on Sunday, February 21, at about 6:45 p.m., a Palo Alto officer saw a man slumped over inside a car parked in the 4000 block of Park Boulevard.

According to authorities, as the Palo Alto officer stopped to check on the man, he recognized the driver as a uniformed Track Watch security guard talking on his cell phone, inside a personal vehicle, while on his work break.

In a report, police say:

"Although the officer did not directly witness a lewd act, based on the totality of the investigation, the officer believed the suspect had been masturbating, and submitted a report to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for review."

The next day, police say they contacted the man’s employer, Cypress Security, to let management know about the incident. According to Palo Alto Police, the man was immediately terminated.

According to police, 35-year-old San Carlos resident Luke Ryan Sauer was arrested after the the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed one misdemeanor count of lewd conduct against him on March 9.

Sauer was taken into custody Monday evening at about 6:20 p.m. in the 00 block of James Avenue in Redwood City, according to authorities. Police booked him into the Santa Clara County Main Jail.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Palo Alto Police 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413.

Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.orgor sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through a free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

-image via Palo Alto Police