Cary man facing additional indecent exposure charge involving 9-year-old

Gabriel Newell Garza, of Forsight Drive in Cary, is accused of touching himself in front of a woman and her 10-year-old daughter in a Harris Teeter parking lot in the Parkside Town Commons shopping center on March 11. He was arrested Monday in connection to that charge.

According to authorities, Garza was charged Thursday after he dropped his pants in front of a 9-year-old getting the mail at the Bexley Panther Creek apartment complex.

"You have at least 2 incidents where this defendant is alleged to have followed very young children, one of which was by herself and exposing himself. I would suggest that he is a danger to the public and I would ask you to raise his bond," said Wake County Assistant District Attorney Katie Pomeroy.

"The 10-year-old looked over and asked her mom what he was doing. When the mom looked over, he was masturbating himself in the car next to them."

Prosecutors are also investigating a report of a woman who was driving by Garza with a 4-year-old in the car, and said he exposed himself around the time of the grocery store incident.

Garza is charged with indecent exposure with a child, indecent exposure when the defendant is at least 18 years old and the victim is younger than 16 and indecent exposure. He was released on a $65,000 bond and is on house arrest.

Garza's attorney, Collin Cook, said his client has no criminal record and intends to stay with his mother in Person County on house arrest until the matter is resolved.

"Respectfully, I would argue if anything, I would argue this bond is high," Cook said. "We're dealing with a case where the young man is presumed innocent. There is no criminal history to speak of."

Garza's next court date is May 2.