A 22-year-old man is accused of exposing himself to a girl at the Winter Haven Public Library on Wednesday.
- Adam Tharp accused exposing himself to girl at library
- Police say tips identified him as the suspect
- Tharp denies accusation that he exposed himself, police say
Police say Adam Tharp, of Winter Haven, exposed himself to a 7-year-old girl in the children's section of the library. The girl ran away, and police say Tharp left the library shortly after.
Detectives say they received a tip from someone who said they worked with Tharp in 2015. The tipster said Tharp had been accused of similar acts in 2015.
Police say an additional tip came from an employee of the Lakeland Public Library, who said they had video images of someone who matched Tharp's description at the library on Wednesday night. The employee said staff noticed a man, later identified as Tharp, lurking around the children's area and behaving suspiciously.
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Staff approached Tharp and asked him to leave, then called police, investigators said. By the time police arrived, though, Tharp had left the library.
Police say they received no report of Tharp exposing himself at the Lakeland Public Library. They say the images show Tharp leaving the Lakeland library wearing the same camouflage shirt as he was seen wearing in the Winter Haven case.
Tharp was taken into custody at his home Thursday night. Police say Tharp told them he was the man seen on surveillance videos at both libraries, and that he liked to go to children's sections and look at children's books because he "identifies with children."
Police say he denied exposing himself to the girl.
Tharp was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of lewd and lascivious exhibition. His first appearance is scheduled for Friday.