A 68-year-old Villager has been arrested on a charge of indecent exposure after allegedly exposing himself at swimming pools in The Villages.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office had received reports that a man later identified as Bernard Howe of Adair Lane in the Village of Pennecamp had exposed himself at the Pennecamp and FishHawk pools. Reported incidents date back to April.
According to written arrest affidavits from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, many of the people who had observed the alleged behavior were so shocked they were initially reluctant to report it to authorities. Some indicated they simply stopped going to the pool. At least one woman indicated she was reluctant to go to the postal station because Howe was frequently there walking his dog, the arrest reports indicated.
Howe told investigators it was a misunderstanding.
An investigation revealed that Howe had been charged with a sexual offense in December 1990 in New Jersey. Law enforcement in New Jersey informed Sumter County investigators Howe would not have been required to register as a sexual offender in New Jersey due to his charge which was lewdness against an adult.
Howe was processed at the Sumter County Detention Center but is currently free on bond.
