A convicted sex offender has been charged after allegedly exposing himself to a Boy Scout in a church van and claiming it was because he had an "itch."
Johnathan Williams, 58, was charged with lewd and lascivious exhibition in the presence of a minor, according to an arrest report obtained by Newsweek. Police responded to an Ace Hardware store in Holly Hill, Florida, on Saturday where Boy Scouts were collecting donations, the report said.
"A guy just called one of my Scouts to his car and he had his private part out and showed it to my 13-year-old Scout," the woman who called police said, according to WESH.
According to the arrest report, Williams watched the boys for several minutes before luring one over to his blue Kia minivan with a dollar. When he opened the door and handed over the dollar bill, Williams' genitalia was fully exposed and the boy later told police that he was "very startled and disturbed" by the incident.
After police reviewed security footage, they observed Williams had been masturbating for many minutes before calling the boy over to his van.
Williams initially claimed in a police interview that he was exposed because he had "an itch" on his genitals that he scratched and examined the area for a rash. But he later admitted to officers that he had been masturbating and said he "fell off the wagon" and became sexually aroused after watching the Boy Scouts.
The van Williams was in is owned by the Free Spirit Evangelist Outreach Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, according to the arrest report.
Pastor Ruth Plummer told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that Williams joined the church in 2012 and drives the van to deliver food. She added that he was never alone with any children who attended church services.
"We always made sure that we kept an eye on the children. He was never around them like that," she told the newspaper.
She said she planned to continue working with sex offenders at the church, but would provide extra counseling. News of Williams' arrest was a "hurting surprise," she added.
According to the News-Journal, Williams has been a registered sex offender since March 2002 after he was convicted on a lewd and lascivious charge involving a child under 16.
He is not permitted to have unsupervised contact with minors, according to the arrest report, and he also has an attached ankle monitor due to his being on probation.
Online records show Williams was arrested on Monday and is being held in Volusia County Branch Jail without bail.
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America said: "Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in our Scouting programs—it is our top priority. While the perpetrator in question has no affiliation with Scouting, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provides resources to help parents speak with their children about this challenging topic, and to encourage them to come forward to access any support they need."
For more information about the BSA's youth protection policies, please visit www.scouting.org/youth-safety.
Update: This article has been updated to include additional details from the arrest report and a statement from the Boy Scouts of America.
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