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Palo Alto man arrested for three incidents of lewd conduct

Police say suspect is responsible for rubbing and exposing himself in public

Palo Alto police have arrested a 37-year-old man who they say repeatedly rubbed his private parts in public places and displayed too much of himself while walking through Seale Park with an open zipper last month.

Local resident Cory Jacobs was arrested in San Jose on Aug. 30 in connection with several incidents of lewd conduct that occurred earlier in the month, police said. In one case, which occurred on Aug. 1, two women reported seeing a man walking through Seale Park with his penis exposed through the open zipper. He reportedly walked through the playground at the park, hopped over a 2-foot fence and was last seen walking southbound on Stockton Place. Officers responded but were unable to locate him.

The following morning, police received two separate calls about a man "lewdly rubbing his groin" downtown, first in the 100 block of Forest Avenue and, minutes later, while standing on a train platform at the downtown Caltrain station. Police said he did not expose his penis in either case.

Later that day, officers received several calls reporting that man was "acting strangely" near the playground area of Johnson Park on Waverley Street. Officers located Jacobs at the park and interviewed him, but they ultimately released him. After further investigation, officers determined that Jacobs was also allegedly the man who lewdly rubbed himself downtown earlier in the day.

Police said the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office filed two counts of misdemeanor lewd conduct against Jacobs on Aug. 21 in connection with the downtown incidents. Detectives then obtained a warrant for his arrest. On Aug. 31, Jacobs was arrested on Second Street in San Jose by deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, police said. In the days after the arrest, Palo Alto detectives conducted a follow-up investigation that connected Jacobs to the Seale Park exposure, police said. He was slapped with another count of lewd conduct and remains in custody.

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Anyone with information about this suspect is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

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Gennady Sheyner
 
Gennady Sheyner covers the City Hall beat in Palo Alto as well as regional politics, with a special focus on housing and transportation. Before joining the Palo Alto Weekly/PaloAltoOnline.com in 2008, he covered breaking news and local politics for the Waterbury Republican-American, a daily newspaper in Connecticut. Read more >>

Follow on Twitter @paloaltoweekly, Facebook and on Instagram @paloaltoonline for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

Palo Alto man arrested for three incidents of lewd conduct

Police say suspect is responsible for rubbing and exposing himself in public

Palo Alto police have arrested a 37-year-old man who they say repeatedly rubbed his private parts in public places and displayed too much of himself while walking through Seale Park with an open zipper last month.

Local resident Cory Jacobs was arrested in San Jose on Aug. 30 in connection with several incidents of lewd conduct that occurred earlier in the month, police said. In one case, which occurred on Aug. 1, two women reported seeing a man walking through Seale Park with his penis exposed through the open zipper. He reportedly walked through the playground at the park, hopped over a 2-foot fence and was last seen walking southbound on Stockton Place. Officers responded but were unable to locate him.

The following morning, police received two separate calls about a man "lewdly rubbing his groin" downtown, first in the 100 block of Forest Avenue and, minutes later, while standing on a train platform at the downtown Caltrain station. Police said he did not expose his penis in either case.

Later that day, officers received several calls reporting that man was "acting strangely" near the playground area of Johnson Park on Waverley Street. Officers located Jacobs at the park and interviewed him, but they ultimately released him. After further investigation, officers determined that Jacobs was also allegedly the man who lewdly rubbed himself downtown earlier in the day.

Police said the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office filed two counts of misdemeanor lewd conduct against Jacobs on Aug. 21 in connection with the downtown incidents. Detectives then obtained a warrant for his arrest. On Aug. 31, Jacobs was arrested on Second Street in San Jose by deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, police said. In the days after the arrest, Palo Alto detectives conducted a follow-up investigation that connected Jacobs to the Seale Park exposure, police said. He was slapped with another count of lewd conduct and remains in custody.

Anyone with information about this suspect is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

Comments

parent
Midtown
on Sep 5, 2014 at 3:52 pm
parent, Midtown
on Sep 5, 2014 at 3:52 pm

Thank you for posting his mug shot to encourage other witnesses to come forward.


Jerry Underdal
Registered user
Barron Park
on Sep 6, 2014 at 12:05 pm
Jerry Underdal, Barron Park
Registered user
on Sep 6, 2014 at 12:05 pm

For added perspective on this story, please read the related August 31 Town Square post “A” for the Palo Alto Police Department; " F” for our abysmal mental health system” and reflect before commenting. But please do comment, the failures of our mental health care system affect us all, regardless of class, ethnicity, race or religion. We can't just turn our heads or look for scapegoats with so much at stake.



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