Newtown Man Allegedly Fondles Himself in New York Incident

Police say a Newtown man—who is a registered sex offender there—was touching himself in the parking lot of Lakeview Plaza Sunday, Sept. 23.

Troopers from the Southeast barracks of the New York State Police arrested Newtown, Conn. resident Richard E. Crouch, 52, at about 6:15 p.m.

Authorities received a report from a shopper who said Crouch was exposed and "massaging his genitals" while standing in the lot outside A&P, police told Patch.

Officials charged Crouch with public lewdness, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned before Southeast Town Judge Richard Vercollone and sent to the Putnam County Correctional Facility on $1,000 cash or bond bail. 

Crouch is due in Southeast Justice Court Oct. 2. He is listed on the State of Connecticut Sex Offender Registry as being convicted of a "public indecency" offense in 2008.

Editor's Note: This article originally ran on Southeast-Brewster Patch.