Moon Police Investigate 4 Indecent Exposure Incidents on the Montour Trail

Moon police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a "person of interest" in connection with a series of indecent exposure reports along the Montour Trail.

Moon Police Chief Leo McCarthy said the department received four complaints this month of a nude male accused of standing on a rocky hillside and fondling himself while overlooking the trail off Montour Run Road. 

The male first yells to get the attention of startled female joggers below before masturbating.

McCarthy said the man was first reported about 9:45 a.m. on Monday, July 8. He was described as a white male in his 30s, but descriptions of the man’s hair has varied, leading investigators to believe he sometimes wears a wig.

“We believe the person may be disguising himself as he exposes himself, putting a wig on to pretend he has more hair on his head,” McCarthy said.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday, July 13, a second woman reported seeing a man wearing a T-shirt in the same location who dropped his pants to fondle himself. McCarthy said the male was described as having thick, dark hair. 

About 11:15 a.m. on Friday, July 19 police received a third report of a biracial man with short brown hair. In the fourth incident, which happened around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24, he is described as a white male with dark hair, weighing 220 pounds and wearing a white T-shirt with black print on the front.

In each case, McCarthy said the women caught short glimpses of the man in the same identical spot near a spray-painted rock that reads “Jesus Lives.”

“He’s in an elevated position above them, he shouts down and they see him fondling himself.”

Bikers and joggers use the trail that starts in Moon and continues for more than 40 miles through Robinson, Findlay and multiple other communities. 

Police believe the man chose this spot because it is isolated, concealed by bushes and unnoticeable to passersby on nearby Montour Run. 

“You can’t be seen from the road. People from the trail can’t see what way you flee or what vehicle you get into,” McCarthy said.

A few days ago, Moon detectives hid a camera along the trail leading to the overlook and for three days in a row, McCarthy said a white male with a dark complexion has visited the area multiple times during the day.

Wednesday morning, just after the latest complaint, police captured a man on video in the same location. 

One image shows a man with a shaved head holding his hand down his pants. Another photo shows the man holding a bag in front of himself.

Police have released photos from the surveillance video hoping the public can help identify. 

McCarthy said police were waiting for the man Thursday morning, but he didn’t show up. Officers would like to talk to him before things escalate. 

“We can’t say that the man in the picture is the suspect," MCcarthy sad. “He’s the only person seen on the pathway just before the incident and after the incident concludes--and he’s wearing a white shirt.” 

Moon police are working with Robinson police and other departments. 

Findlay police recently arrested a man accused of exposing himself on the trail, but McCarthy said he is not believed to be the same person.

“Indecent exposure happens in public parking lots, convenience stores…the Montour Trail is not a dangerous place, but obviously I want the public to be aware of this.”

Anyone with information should contact Moon Police at 412-262-5000.

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