CAMPBELL COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — A man accused of performing lewd sex acts inside a Five Below on Wards Road is scheduled to face a judge on Friday, after investigators say he fled Virginia and was later arrested in New York City.
Police arrested Eli Howard in New York City, where officials said he was committing similar crimes. The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office said the pattern it was noticing was concerning.
It all started on Aug. 3 inside the Five Below on Wards Road. A store employee told investigators he saw Howard perform a lewd sex act on a store camera. The employee asked him to leave and then called police, but Howard fled Virginia.
Howard was arrested in New York City on Aug. 28 after someone reported seeing him committing another lewd sex act on a live camera feed from the George Washington Bridge.
Howard has been charged with indecent exposure and stimulated masturbation.
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Security footage captures Eli Lemuel Howard, who is accused of exposing himself at a Five Below. (Campbell County Sheriff’s Office)
The sheriff’s office said it does not normally extradite people charged with misdemeanors, but officials said what happened at Five Below raised major concerns.
“One of those kids could’ve come down the wrong aisle and saw that, and that’s one reason that we decided to go to New York to pick him up,” said Capt. Brian Murray of the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office. “We feel like this could’ve been much more serious than what it was.”
Murray said extradition became a priority because investigators believed there was a pattern.
“We feel like due to the nature of the suspected offense, along with the reason he was arrested in New York City for basically, virtually the same offense, we feel like there’s a pattern here,” Murray said. “And we feel like we’re trying to avert potential harm that he could potentially cause someone.”
Murray said Howard was not facing charges in New York City and was detained there only because of his Campbell County warrants. He likely would’ve been released if not returned to Campbell County.
The sheriff’s office said it wanted to stop the pattern before it could potentially become more dangerous.
Howard will be in a Campbell County courtroom on Friday for his arraignment.