Sanford police searching for man who exposed himself to 3 middle school girls, tried to kidnap one

SANFORD, Fla. — Sanford police are asking the public to be on the lookout for a man who exposed himself to a group of middle school students and attempted to kidnap one of the young girls.

On Friday, officers responded to the area of 5th Street and Avocado Avenue after three juvenile girls said a man was standing by a tree, exposing and touching his private parts.

The girls told police they began walking away from the area when the man began to follow them. The suspect grabbed one of the girls’ backpacks, forcing her to remove the backpack in order to run from the man’s grasp.

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The girls were able to run from the area and notify their parents about the incident, according to police.

The man was later identified as 23-year-old Jerral Ugene Wynn.

Based on the investigation, it is believed previous encounters with Wynn may have occurred in the area and had not been reported.

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A warrant has been issued for Wynn for lewd and lascivious behavior on a person under 13 and attempted kidnapping.

“This type of behavior is nothing other than disgusting. Our children should be able to walk to school and never encounter a situation such as this one,” said Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith. “I encourage anyone who knows of similar incidents to come forward. We need to get this man off our streets immediately before he victimizes another child.”

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Anyone with information regarding these recent crimes, please contact the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800 423-TIPS (8477).

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