For a while a year and a half ago, the lush greenery of Graham Swamp’s big O-shaped hiking trail seemed to be the in place for men looking to out themselves: between October 2012 and January 2013, several men were arrested around the swamp for displaying their penis, handling it publicly as Onan might, or propositioning others to play along. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office had gotten word of the Big O’s attraction to overly natural thrill-seekers–one of whom targeted a teen–and assigned undercover cops to the trail in hopes of clamping down on unwarranted disclosures, and did. There’s been no official reports of men (or women) exhibiting more than fig leaves allow since.
On Tuesday evening, however, a penis appeared again, purposely and repeatedly unsheathed, this time at Waterfront Park–crown jewel of Palm Coast’s parks and a favorite among joggers, runners, bikers, nature lovers, and children: there’s a playground there, not to mention a memorial park to the memory of deceased children.
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, a 53-year-old woman, a Palm Coast resident, was ambling along on her bike on the paths at Waterfront Park when, according to a police report, she saw a man standing near her path, to the left, who appeared to be fishing. The woman thought nothing of it and continued riding the bike, only to soon be overtaken by the same man, by then riding his bike. As the man passed her, she could smell a strong odor of alcohol.
She continued biking. The path took her into a more thickly wooded area of the park. And there, she saw the man again. He was standing on the left side of the path. He was facing the trail. And, his arrest report states, he had “his penis grasped in his hand.”
The man was Ashley Levern Mitchell, a 49-year-old registered sex offender–but not a predator, which means he was never involved in a violent sexual crime against anyone–and a resident of 12 Bridgehaven Drive in Palm Coast. Twelve years ago, Mitchell was convicted of lewd or lascivious exposure to a victim between 16 and 18 years old, although that was not the principal reason he spent time in prison: he was convicted at the same time for manufacturing and selling cocaine, which netted him almost 34 months in state prison. He was released in August 2005. He’d previously served three stints in jail or prison on drug charges.
His victim Tuesday evening had no reason to know any of that. All she saw, as she told Flagler County deputies, was a man with his “penis out of his clothing.” She immediately called 911 and continued to ride her bicycle toward the main area of Waterfront Park, which is usually well trafficked at that hour.
Back in that main area, the woman took a seat at a picnic table. Before long, she saw Mitchell enter the public bathroom, then emerge–again “with his penis again exposed,” the arrest report states, “and holding it in his hand, walking back and forth in front of the restroom building.” He then sat down at the picnic table, left a few minutes later, and returned not long after that, by which time deputies were in the park.
Mitchell was arrested and read his rights. He told police that he was merely urinating at the time when the woman biked by him, and that she had “caught him.”
Earlier in the evening, 911 had received a call about a man matching Mitchell’s description, exposing himself to women biking along a trail near European Village. The suspect in that case left the scene before deputies could locate him.
Mitchell was charged with indecent exposure and booked at the Flagler County jail on $1,000 bond, which he posted. He’s been released. He’ll be arraigned before Judge Melissa Moore-Stens on July 29. Mitchell’s only other run-in with the law since last being released from prison was a guilty plea for fishing without a license, back in 2009.
deepdiver32086 says
Chop it off… problem solved.
confidential says
That would have given me a serious concern. This individual keeps being released among us and is a ticking sexual bomb predator. What guarantees us that he will not go of with his uncontrollable distorted sexual behavior and rape a child or woman off these trails in isolated sections? He should have stayed in jail and forced to attend anti sexual predators psychological sections and forced to pay for it himself. Now he is free after paying $200 or 10% of his bond …why not use those 200 to keep him in jail for a while attending classes. The dude is free among us till July…C-mon!
ryan says
Sad how that this story has no commenters, but the pit bull story has dozens. I think sexual offenders are more dangerous than pit bulls, but Palm Coast seems to approves of these types, at least there is a silent approval through lack of outrage by residents here.
ann says
Most people don’t even know what the heck is going on because everything is always sugarcoated in Palm Coast!
Gia says
Cut off that crap balls & HE WON’T DO ANYMORE
Seminole Pride says
I pee all the time on the Golf Course. Just fin a tree. It’s part of the game, i guess.
Rick says
That is not the same, pee pride & what is “fin a tree”?.
FlaglerLive says
A note regarding comments suggesting the slashing approach, from a CNN dispatch (2012): “The use of chemical castration, while effective, remains controversial. While sex offenders may not be the most sympathetic group, critics say forced chemical castration violates human rights. The process of chemical castration has been used in various forms, either forcibly as a sentence or as a way for offenders to reduce their jail time in several countries including Argentina, Australia, Estonia, Israel, Moldova, New Zealand, Poland and Russia. At least nine U.S. states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin have versions of chemical castration in their laws. It’s unclear how frequently chemical castration is used in the United States.” The full story here.
This Times story from 2009 about outright castration of offenders is also instructive.
Common Sense says
You can have 800 pretty little Parks for the “normal” people to jog, bike, walk on….But there will ALWAYS be freaks out there. Be PREPARED always to defend yourself. Better to be judged by 12, then buried by 6 !
A brand new crescent moon says
This is one of those stories that at first glance is just so disgusting and nuts, it evoked an I don’t know what to say response from me. I’m not sure removing body parts would help. I mean a snip, snip here and a snip, snip there sure sounds good. However, if he was not fully equipped, he might just do something else equally anti-social. I say lock him up and keep him locked up.
A.S.F. says
Some sex offenders have actually asked for chemical castration as a way of dealing with their obsessive thoughts and urges However, chemical castration does not solve all of the underlying control and rage issues, nor does it address impulse control issues. They may stop offending in one way only to find a new avenue to act out their deep-seated problems. Also, since fantasy plays a large part in this behavior, other therapies are still needed to reinforce socially acceptable behaviors, ways to deal with obsessive thinking and the “flatness” , Depression and Anxiety that might lead to different but still harmful ways of acting out towards self and/or others .Also, it would be important to address any ongoing substance abuse problems. That further lowers the impulse control threshold.
cindy says
I wonder how many times he’s gotten away with this. Its too bad the courts place bail so low. This isnt his first offense and won’t be his last.
Donna Heiss says
@Seminole. Chances are I have pictures of you. There are many men who “pee” on the golf course.I see you from my lanai. Could this be exposure? Of course it is. Maybe you will see yourself on FB one day. Home has high tech recording cameras. Smile.
Seminole Pride says
@ Donna, thats your opinion, as far as I’m concern, I go in the woods to take a pee., just like any other animal or human can do. It’s Nature. Get over it. It’s not Exposure.
Nancy N. says
That’s actually not just Donna’s opinion. It’s also the law. Do you know how many people are on sex offender registries because of public urination charges? You’d keep your pants zipped if you did.
JoJo says
Why did I think of “Broken Windows”
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/broken-windows/304465/
as a result of reading this story. Nothing is more foul, sickening and frightening to a woman, a child or even another man to observe someone expose himself. Sure, the man is innocent until proved guilty but what witness wants to take the stand to describe in detail this person’s actions, perhaps giving this dickey waver more of a thrill. Give these dickey wavers a minimum year in jail with hopefully receiving counseling while there.
Citizen Zero says
Aside the obvious facts, anyone who has lived in this town for a while has seen this person either walking or biking with fishing gear in tow. Without as mush as a sentence from him one can tell he has continuing mental problems that need to be addressed.
Because I Can says
They can’t stop their deviance….they move on to more serious sexual crimes….then are finally labeled a predator. Just a suggestion, but why don’t we just put these sex criminals on a deserted island with only other deviants.
Geezer (Loves Anole Lizards) says
Was the alleged manhood-manipulator pleasuring himself,
or was it a case of urinary urgency – an immediate unstoppable
urge to urinate, due to a sudden involuntary contraction of the
muscular wall of the bladder aggravated by copious alcohol consumption?
Perhaps he was just marking his territory.
One thing’s for sure: he certainly scared the dickens out of the bicyclist.
Outsider says
Any woman riding a bike alone on these trails should be carrying a legally concealed firearm, or mace at minimum. If a man approaches you with willie in hand, you would rightly be considered in fear for your life.
someone says
I was sexually assaulted in public by someone I didn’t know. nothing happened to the person. hes free. The cops told me if I was raped they would do something but I fought back before he got farther. I hope they actually do something about sex crimes. All they told me is that I’m not allowed back at the place like I did something wrong.
A.S.F. says
@someone says–I am sorry for what you went through and what you may still be dealing with. There is no excuse for sexual abuse. I hope the person who harmed you will be brought to justice. And I hope you will find the support and peace of mind you deserve.