SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Joelton senior citizen is arrested in Hendersonville accused of driving down the city’s main drag exposing himself to other motorists.
The case may have gone unreported if not for a Good Samaritan who witnessed the alleged incident.
It happened Tuesday, August 20 around 5:30 p.m. on Main Street. That’s where a man driving a U-Haul looks down from his truck and sees what he claims is a driver fondling himself inappropriately while driving.
The man videotaped the truck and the alleged incident and he called 911 as well. Police later identified the driver of the pickup truck as 68-year-old Ralph Bain.
Here’s the man’s call to 911:
“I was in traffic and a truck next to me, he was looking at a bunch of teenagers and masturbating. It was an older white male. I actually have a picture of his truck, his license plate and a video of him doing it. He was next to me. I am in a U-Haul truck and I’m higher up so I was able to see everything he was doing.”
Thanks to the video and the citizen’s quick call to police, Bain was interviewed and charged with indecent exposure. Police tell News 2 that the senior implicated himself in the crime.
Commander Scott Ryan of the Hendersonville Police Department tells News 2 this could have been a ‘he said, he said’ scenario, but the video made the case.
“Absent corroborating evidence, our hands are tied a lot of times. But we have a great witness in this case, who we know had prior experience with someone being victimized. And if you take a poll of those you know, you’d be shocked to learn how many people have been victimized by a public indecency or indecent exposure,” said Commander Ryan.
News 2 looked into Bain’s criminal history. According to Metro Police, Bain was booked in 1999 for Indecent Exposure. He was booked on the same charge in 2003 and 2004. In 2008, he was charged with disorderly conduct.
“I think it does happen a lot more than we really know, and in today’s society, we become more and more desensitized to outrageous behavior. This is not an issue that we need to become desensitized to. We need to take this very seriously because it is a gateway that can lead to crimes of violence. Where instead of imposing his nudity on someone else, maybe next time he physically imposes upon someone else,” said Commander Ryan.
Anyone with information regarding this incident or other crimes is encouraged to contact Hendersonville Detectives at 615-264-5303 or call Hendersonville Crime Stoppers at 615-594-4113. Tips can also be submitted by text to the number 274637 (CRIMES) using keyword TIPHPD.
Bain will appear in court September 28.
