Police searching for hotel flasher in Lompoc

Posted: Apr 6, 2011 7:00 PM by Ariel Wesler
Updated: Apr 7, 2011 6:14 AM

Lompoc Police need your help to find a man they say exposed himself at three local hotels.

Officers say the suspect has flashed people on four different occasions, at three local hotels, all within the past month.

The first incident occurred at the end of February at America's Best Value Inn on North H Street. Since then, there was another incident at the Embassy Suites, and two more at the Holiday Inn Express. All the locations are a few blocks away from each other on North H street. The most recent case happened on Monday.

In surveillance video from America's Best Value Inn. Lompoc police say the man is walking down the hallway exposing himself. The flasher is described as a black male in his 30s, 30-35 years old, 5'08"-5'11", and approximately 180-200 pounds. Officers say similar incidents have happened at two other hotels since February.

"For them to occur at a hotel within this short amount of time period is kind of odd," said Detective Vince Magallon with Lompoc Police. "Some are in the laundry room areas where the housekeepers do their laundry. Some are in the hallways of the hotel."

"This area of the building is the first time they saw him," said Christy Deeds, a hotel manager at the Holiday Inn Express.

On Monday, the flasher showed up at her hotel for the second time. Management says so far, he hasn't bothered any guests, just the housekeeping staff.

"They're really not sure if he's a guest or not. So, obviously, they're going to be nice. They greet him and then notice after the fact that he's exposing himself," Deeds said. "They're scared. They're like 'I don't want to go out there right now. I don't want to do anything that means I have to leave the building until I know that he's gone'."

But by the time they report the incident, the man disappears.

"We don't know if he's getting in a car. We don't know if he's jumping a fence, if he's staying next door," Deeds said. "I'm anxious for them to catch him, but it does make a good story."

Officers say the man tends to show up between 8 and 11:30 a.m. At this point, investigators believe the same person is responsible for all the incidents. They are asking anyone who may recognize the man or have more information to contact them.

The Embassy Suites and America's Best Value Inn would not comment on the incidents at their hotels. Lompoc police believe there may be other victims that have not come forward.