The boy told police he was using a library computer when the man propositioned him. Police said the man followed him around the library and into the bathroom, where he exposed himself to the child and touched him on his stomach.
The suspect is described as a white male, about 40-45 years old, standing around 5 ft. 5 in. to 5 ft. 7 in. tall and weighing between 150 to 174 pounds. He has short, dark hair with some gray, a tattoo on right bicep, and was last seen wearing a pink polo shirt, blue shorts, and black sandals.
Police say such incidents at public libraries are rare, but they do happen. As a matter of policy, WRAL has learned none of Wake County's public libraries is equipped with surveillance cameras, inside or out.
"One of the things we really believe very strongly is protecting people's rights to read whatever it is they want to read," said Wake County Public Library head Thom Moore.
Moore said when it comes to security, the public library's open-door policy cuts both ways, since no one is turned away.
"An incident like this, we don't like it at all," said Moore. "We're very unhappy with it. But we can't prevent it in advance because we don't know in advance who these people are."
Moore said this is an apparent isolated incident, and they don't plan to make any security changes at the county's public libraries. The Cary library will continue its regular scheduled hours.
Cary Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect. People with information in the case can contact Crime Stoppers at
919-226-CRIME
, or Cary police at
919-469-4017
.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
