Man charged with lewd behavior in parking lot

By Julie Manganis
Staff writer

January 14, 2009 04:28 am

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SALEM — A Marblehead man is facing charges after police said they spotted him in a Highland Avenue parking lot ogling women and fondling himself Monday morning.

Thomas Puerto, 38, of 46 Lafayette St., Marblehead, pleaded not guilty to open and gross lewdness and lewd and lascivious conduct during his arraignment yesterday in Salem District Court. He is free on his own recognizance, on condition that he stay away from the shopping plaza on Highland Avenue where he was arrested.

According to a police report, Salem police got a call from Marblehead police Sgt. Sean Sweeney, who was off-duty and shopping at Target when he recognized Puerto.

Sweeney had arrested Puerto in the past. Sweeney went into the store, and when he came out about 20 minutes later, Puerto was still in the lot. Sweeney watched as Puerto drove down a lane in the lot, apparently following a woman. He then backed into a parking space facing the Fashion Bug, a women's clothing store.

When Salem detectives showed up, they noticed Puerto staring at a woman as she put groceries into her car. He appeared to be rocking back and forth inside the truck, Sgt. Steve Bona wrote in his report. Bona, Lt. Thomas Griffin and Sweeney approached the truck and saw that Puerto's pants were down and he had a jacket over his lap.

Puerto asked the officers to "please give me a second," then pulled up his pants and got out of the truck.

Police found a dozen pairs of thong underwear in the truck, which they said Puerto told them were from a Marblehead laundry.

Puerto's dog, which was also in the truck, was turned over to the Marblehead animal control officer.