Villager Bernard Howe, accused of exposing himself at Villages swimming pools and MVP Athletic Club, will be able to avoid prosecution through a pre-trial intervention program.
Howe, 68, of the Village of Pennecamp, had been arrested this fall after numerous allegations that he had exposed himself at the Pennecamp and FishHawk swimming pools. He was arrested again in October, while free on bond, following another incident in which a woman who was getting into her golf cart at MVP at Brownwood said Howe, also in his golf cart, had exposed himself.
However, Howe will be able to avoid prosecution if he successfully completes a 12-month pre-trial intervention program. He is also being fined $500 with an additional $100 in court costs to be assessed. Howe will also undergo counseling as part of the agreement approved in Sumter County Court by Judge Thomas Skidmore.
If Howe completes the pre-trial intervention agreement, the charges will not be filed.
Howe is being represented by attorney Shane Robert Bachman.
According to written arrest affidavits from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, many of the people who had observed the alleged behavior dating back to this past spring 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.
Howe had been charged with a sexual offense in December 1990 in New Jersey.