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Florida man in Aspen has ‘pattern’ of indecent exposures, cops say

Aspen police arrested a 63-year-old Florida man Saturday for indecent exposure after finding evidence of “a pattern of exposures to female victims throughout the recent past,” according to court documents.

The man from North Palm Beach was arrested Saturday at the Ritz Carlton of Aspen resort at Aspen Highlands on the misdemeanor charge, according to an arrest warrant filed in Pitkin County Court and the Aspen Police Department.

Police first received a report about the man’s behavior June 10 from a 23-year-old Ritz Carlton spa attendant who reported encountering him that morning when the man came into the fitness center, according to the arrest warrant. The woman said she knew the man was a member and owner at the Ritz and that “he was usually nice” during their previous interactions, the warrant states.



On the morning of June 10, however, the man wore only a pair of shorts and a hat when he entered the fitness center and “began pulling his shorts in a downward motion exposing his penis and testicles” while standing in front of her engaging in small talk, according to the warrant.

“She said it looked like he was ‘airing out’ his shorts/genitals and making himself ‘more comfortable,’” the warrant states. “She said that approximately three-quarters of his genitals were exposed and he pulled his shorts down while he approached her and again while facing her approximately 1 meter away on the other side of the desk.




“She said the incident lasted approximately two minutes.”

Later, the man came out of the locker room, told her the hot tub was broken, asked if she would be around in August when he returned and said it was nice meeting her, according to the warrant.

“She said she was afraid he would expose himself again, but a female gym user walked behind the desk and inquired about buying a shirt,” the warrant states. “She said she believed this dissuaded him for exposing himself again.”

The hotel’s director of operations went to confront the man about the interaction, but he had already checked out.

The next day, Aspen Police Officer Forrest Barnett spoke to a 57-year-old female spa attendant, who reported that two or three years ago, the man opened his towel and revealed his naked body to her after asking her to pour eucalyptus in the steam room of the men’s locker room, according to the warrant. The woman said she announced herself loudly before entering the locker room.

“She said she believed that (the man) staged the incident so that he would be able to expose himself to her,” the warrant states.

The same attendant also said numerous massage therapists at the resort told her the man had exposed himself to them, as well. Between June 15 and July 5, Barnett spoke with three Ritz Carlton massage therapists, who “all said that while the man was being massaged, he would continually attempt to pull the towel or sheet that was covering his body down, trying to expose his genitals and buttocks,” according to the warrant.

A fourth therapist said on July 11 that the man “began to grind and move his body like he was ‘having sex with the table’ ” during a massage, the warrant states.

Three of the four therapists refused to take future appointments with the man, according to the warrant.

Barnett spoke to the man by phone July 18, when he “stated that if he had exposed himself to anyone that it was inadvertent,” the warrant states.

“He said he did not remember the incident in the fitness center,” according to the warrant. “He said that sometimes during massages, the blanket or towel would get hot but he was not attempting to expose himself.”

In the warrant, Barnett wrote that he believed the man “purposely exposed himself” to the spa attendant in June.

“My investigation also indicated a pattern of exposures to female victims throughout the recent past and a sexual satisfaction component to the unwanted exposures,” according to the arrest warrant. “The Ritz Carlton is researching a variety of options designed to keep the man from committing future exposures to its staff.”

Pitkin County Judge Erin Fernandez-Ely signed the man’s arrest warrant in late July.

jauslander@aspentimes.com

Editor’s note: This story has been amend in December 2020 to remove the accused’s name because he has completed his sentence.

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