Pervert Patrol

Burlington, NC-- On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, Burlington Police were called to Sears on Huffman Mill Rd. regarding a suspicious person in the store. A man was seen following a young lady through the store. Officers reviewed surveillance tape and discovered that the suspect was masturbating while following the victim. Although the suspect was as close as 3-4 feet from the victim, it appears that the she never knew what the suspect was doing. Based on information obtained from store personnel and surveillance tapes, investigating officers determined the identity of the suspect, Thomas Bell Morris of Laurel Hill Dr. Burlington was arrested and charged with one count of indecent exposure. "It appears as though this is an isolated incident. We are not aware of any other case of this type matching the suspect's description. We would be interested in knowing if there were other unreported cases," said Assistant Chief Greg Seel.Burlington, NC-- Court records show a man accused of masturbating in a department store has a previous record of indecent exposure. Burlington Police say they were called to the Sears on Huffman Mill Road on Tuesday regarding a "suspicious person" following a woman around the store. Officers from the Burlington Police Department are continuing their investigation. Court records show he has four previous convictions of indecent exposure and one conviction of assault on a female. The exposure convictions were in 1987, 1990, 1994 and 1995. The assault conviction was in 2006. Update: As a precaution, Management from Sears elected to remove any clothing from sale to the public that may have been damaged by the acts of the suspect, Robert Bell Morris. The total amount of the clothing that could not be sold was $1,311.95. Morris was arrested for one count of Injury to Personal Property. He was placed in the Alamance County Jail under a $1200 Secured Bond. Morris has several previous convictions for Indecent Exposure in Alamance County. Anyone that may have been a victim of an unreported case of Indecent Exposure or similar offense is urged to call Burlington Police at 229-3500. "We have not had any additional cases attributed to the suspect at this time, but we would be interested to know if others have been victimized." Said Assistant Chief Greg Seel. WFMY News 2

This sordid mess wouldn't be worth noting if it weren't for "Management from Sears" desiring to assure one & all in the area that there is absolutely no chance they'll be buying a T-shirt that some pervert wagged his weenie w/in 10 ft. of. $1,311.95 worth of goods shipped to another store taken off the shelves because of imaginary potential contamination. Please.