AMESBURY - A Virginia man was arrested at Logan Airport yesterday and is being held on $60,000 cash bail after a spree of open and lewd conduct that took place in Amesbury over a two-hour period on Thursday, according to police reports.
Arturo Lyma-Young, 29, of 2277 Double Eagle Court, Reston, Va., is being charged with six counts of open and gross lewdness. According to police reports, seven young women reported to Amesbury police a man exposed himself and engaged in lewd acts while confronting them on three separate incidents on Amesbury streets on Thursday.
Lyma-Young was arrested at Logan International Airport through the cooperation of Troop F of the Massachusetts State Police located at Logan and the rental agency Lyma-Young used to rent the car he was driving while in Amesbury.
Lyma-Young's arrest would not have been possible without the attentiveness of the witnesses, said Amesbury Sgt. Mark Gagnon, who credits the young women involved with quick thinking and excellent judgment.
"These young women did exactly what they were supposed to do," Gagnon said last night. "When they realized that he was exposing himself, they walked away from him immediately and came to the police station and reported the incidents at once."
Gagnon said between 3 and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Lyma-Young exposed himself and engaged in lewd acts on three separate occasions involving three groups of young women. The first report was from two 14-year-old girls who reported a male had pulled his car over on Main Street near Heritage Towers to ask them for directions. When the girls realized Gagnon was exposing himself, they walked away, then reported his actions to police, Gagnon said.
While police were speaking to the first two victims, two women, aged 20 and 22, entered the station to report a similar incident while they were walking near Heritage Towers.
A short time after that, Gagnon said, police were called to Highland Street where three 16-year-old girls again reported that a man of similar description cut in front of them with his car while they were jogging. Two of the three girls noticed the man was exposing himself and engaging in lewd activity.
What broke the case for police, Gagnon said, was the action of the two 20-year-olds.
"Those young women were wonderful," Gagnon said. "When they realized what he was doing, they got in their car and followed him. They got the make and model of the car and the license plate number. It made all the difference in cracking this case."
Arturo Lyma-Young, 29, of 2277 Double Eagle Court, Reston, Va., is being charged with six counts of open and gross lewdness. According to police reports, seven young women reported to Amesbury police a man exposed himself and engaged in lewd acts while confronting them on three separate incidents on Amesbury streets on Thursday.
Lyma-Young was arrested at Logan International Airport through the cooperation of Troop F of the Massachusetts State Police located at Logan and the rental agency Lyma-Young used to rent the car he was driving while in Amesbury.
Lyma-Young's arrest would not have been possible without the attentiveness of the witnesses, said Amesbury Sgt. Mark Gagnon, who credits the young women involved with quick thinking and excellent judgment.
"These young women did exactly what they were supposed to do," Gagnon said last night. "When they realized that he was exposing himself, they walked away from him immediately and came to the police station and reported the incidents at once."
Gagnon said between 3 and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Lyma-Young exposed himself and engaged in lewd acts on three separate occasions involving three groups of young women. The first report was from two 14-year-old girls who reported a male had pulled his car over on Main Street near Heritage Towers to ask them for directions. When the girls realized Gagnon was exposing himself, they walked away, then reported his actions to police, Gagnon said.
While police were speaking to the first two victims, two women, aged 20 and 22, entered the station to report a similar incident while they were walking near Heritage Towers.
A short time after that, Gagnon said, police were called to Highland Street where three 16-year-old girls again reported that a man of similar description cut in front of them with his car while they were jogging. Two of the three girls noticed the man was exposing himself and engaging in lewd activity.
What broke the case for police, Gagnon said, was the action of the two 20-year-olds.
"Those young women were wonderful," Gagnon said. "When they realized what he was doing, they got in their car and followed him. They got the make and model of the car and the license plate number. It made all the difference in cracking this case."
When police ran the plate number, they learned Lyma-Young was in a rental car and lived in Reston, Va. Although Lyma-Young has a record of criminal activity in Virginia, Gagnon said, none appear to be of the sexual nature that he is being charged with in Amesbury.
Police were able to track down a picture of the man from Virginia that fit the description they received from witnesses. When the witnesses picked Lyma-Young's picture out of a photo array, it allowed Amesbury police to get a warrant for his arrest.
After ascertaining the name of the rental car agency near Logan Airport, police realized Lyma-Young was scheduled to return the car yesterday. Fearful he would drop the car and take a plane out of the jurisdiction, Amesbury police requested the help of Troop F of the State Police.
"The rental car agency was very helpful, and the troopers from Troop F were wonderful," Gagnon said. "The rental agent called one of the troopers when Lyma-Young returned the car. The car rental agent kept (Lyma-Young) busy at the agency until the state police were able to get there and arrest him on the first warrant we were able to get."
Amesbury police traveled to Logan to take custody of Lyma-Young and bring him back to Amesbury for booking. By the time he arrived in Amesbury, five more arrest warrants were obtained, Gagnon said.
After being booked in Amesbury, bail was set by Joseph Katter at $60,000 cash bail, Gagnon said. Lyma-Young will be held at Middleton Jail until his arraignment in Newburyport District Court on Monday.
Gagnon said a number of Amesbury officers were responsible for the successful capture. They are detectives Sean Leary, David Pare, Richard Poulin and Officer Glenn Chaput.
"The most important part of this case was the help we received from this community," Gagnon said. "It was great."
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