Deputies: Suspect sought in lewd incidents at Moran Lagoon

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies are seeking a male suspect believed to have exposed himself to women at least twice in Moran Lagoon.

A female hiker reported that she was walking past the Lode Street sanitation facility near a grove of eucalyptus trees around 7 a.m. on Aug. 18 when she saw a man exposing himself and performing a lewd act. The woman immediately left the area. Deputies responded but could not find the suspect.

The suspect is described as a white man, approximately 20 years old, about 5’7″, medium build, with no facial hair and medium-length hair.

Deputies were dispatched to Moran Lagoon again on Sept. 12 at 7 a.m. for reports of a similar incident.

This time, a female jogger reported seeing a man touching himself in public. She told him she was calling deputies and he left the area. In that incident, the suspect was described as either a white or Latino man in his late 30s, approximately 6’2″, with a normal build. No tattoos or facial hair was seen. He was wearing a red plaid hooded Pendleton type jacket.

Deputies have canvassed the area numerous times and have increased patrol in the area. A surveillance camera at the sanitation facility recorded the suspect fleeing the area during the Sept. 12 incident.

Although the suspect descriptions vary a bit, the Sheriff’s Office says they believe both incidents involved the same person.

They’re asking anyone who can identify the man or who has similar unreported incidents to call the sheriff’s office dispatch at 471-1121