PALM COAST, Fla. -- Flagler County Sheriff's deputies have arrested two Palm Coast men on separate charges of indecent exposure. Both arrests came Thursday following an undercover operation at Graham Swamp Preserve in Palm Coast.
As part of the undercover operation, The Sheriff's Safe Neighborhood Unit put deputies on the preservation area's walking trails at 1125 Old Kings Road North.
In both incidents, the men approached undercover deputies and initiated conversation before exposing themselves.
Police say shortly after 1:00 p.m. 70-year-old Leslie Columbo began a conversation with the deputy, exposed himself, and asked the deputy to walk back to the parking lot with him. Once the two were in the parking lot, police say, Colombo exposed himself a second time and asked the deputy to leave with him. At that time, he was taken into custody.
The second man, 68-year-old Charles Bitzer, Jr. was arrested minutes later. Police say he began a short conversation with a deputy on the trail. He then exposed himself and began to pleasure himself in front of an undercover deputy. Police arrested Bitzer following the incident.
Police say these arrests are part of an ongoing move to keep the area safe. "This was an excellent operation by the Safe Neighborhood Unit. These operations will continue at Graham Swamp as long as there is a need," said Flagler County Sheriff James L. Manfre. "Our goal is to create a safe environment for visitors to the preserve."
