ELYRIA, OH — A 62-year-old man was cited for public indecency on Monday afternoon after allegedly exposing himself behind businesses on Cleveland Street.
According to Elyria Police, officers were dispatched around 4:30 PM on May 12 to the 600 block of Cleveland Street following reports of a man exposing himself near the rear entrance of Young Security Services, located at 616 Cleveland Street.
Officers spoke with Laura Johnson and her 16-year-old daughter, both employees of the nearby Elyria Animal Hospital. They reported that a homeless man had exposed himself while seated on a rear staircase. Officers located the man—identified as George Washington Garrett Jr.—seated on the stairs in question.
Garrett told police he had recently visited a nearby laundromat and stopped to sit down. He admitted to urinating a couple of times but denied intentionally exposing himself.
Police also interviewed another Elyria Animal Hospital employee, Taylor Kantura, who corroborated the incident. Kantura and the 16-year-old said they observed Garrett with his genitals exposed and his hand moving in a motion consistent with masturbation as they walked through the alley from the Apples Grocery Store parking lot to their workplace.
Garrett was issued a misdemeanor citation for Public Indecency under Elyria Ordinance 533.05, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. He is scheduled to appear in Elyria Municipal Court on May 14, 2025, at 10:00 AM.
In addition, Garrett was formally trespassed from the properties of Young Security Services and the Elyria Animal Hospital. After being issued the citation and notified of the trespass orders, he was escorted off the property.
The case has been closed with a disposition of Cleared by Arrest.