SYRACUSE -- Three weeks after a public act of lewdness, Syracuse police have located and arrested a Weber County man they suspect, based on his criminal history, may have performed other lewd acts in public in the past.
Jeffrey Dell Connell, 39, of Hooper, was arrested Wednesday at his work and booked into Davis County Jail on a class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine, Syracuse Police Sgt. Heath Rogers said.
Kaysville and Layton detectives assisted in the arrest.
Connell was arrested for a lewd act, reportedly performed about 1 p.m. July 6 in a Syracuse store parking lot in front of two females, Rogers said.
Connell was in his truck with his driver's side door open in the Walmart parking lot when two women walking through the parking lot witnessed him masturbating in his vehicle, Rogers said.
"(Connell at the time) was holding onto a pair of woman's underclothing," Rogers said.
Based on witness accounts and surveillance video obtained from Walmart, police got a good description of the truck Connell was in and Syracuse police, through a detectives meeting, passed the information on to other law enforcement agencies in the county, Rogers said.
Syracuse police are concerned that, as Connell had a prior offense, there may be additional victims before whom he has performed lewd acts who may want to contact police. To help other potential victims step forward, Rogers said, the truck Connell was seen in on July 6 was a four-door white Dodge Ram with a large dent on the passenger side.
"It was his work truck. It has an orange light on top," Rogers said.
Those who believe they may be a victim of Connell's are encouraged to call local police.
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