St. Pete sex offender arrested after exposing himself to underage girl on bus, police say
Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Police have arrested Lionel Thompson, 34, a transient sex offender from St. Petersburg, after they say he followed a juvenile onto a public bus, exposed himself to her, and committed a sexual act in front of her.
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, Johnson sat near the victim at a bus shelter on Martin Luther King Junior Street shortly before 4 p.m. on Friday.
When the bus arrived, the victim got on and sat in the back, while Thompson sat near her, but in front of her.
According to arrest reports, Thompson pulled down his shorts and underwear and began performing a sex act on himself while staring at the underage victim.
The victim, who was on the phone with a friend at the time, relayed what was going on ‘in disbelief’. She told police she did not watch him and got off the bus as soon as possible.
Thompson was arrested shortly before 7 p.m. on Friday.
He is facing charges of exposure of sexual organs and violation of probation-sexual battery on a child under the age of 12.