Pittsburgh-area man charged after allegedly exposing himself near children

Residents in a Washington County community say they feel safer after a man was taken into police custody for allegedly exposing himself near children.

A community in Washington County feels safer after residents said a man, who’s allegedly been exposing himself for months, was taken into custody.

The North Strabane Township Police Department said Scott Haffner was caught touching himself inappropriately on Tuesday, around 3:30 p.m., while children were at a school bus stop by his house.

“This neighborhood has been tormented by him for years,” one neighbor said.

The school bus stop is just feet away from Haffner’s yard on Hickory Circle in North Strabane.

“He was observed behind his sliding glass window,” North Strabane Police Lieutenant Michael Miller said. “At the time, there were two witnesses. Both brought their 2-year-old children to the bus stop to see the bus after school, and they heard a song playing very loudly. And they looked back and they observed a male standing behind a glass window, and he was masturbating.”

Miller said his department has received multiple calls about Haffner over the past year.

“He lies out with a thong on. I’ve seen him at the pool with thongs on. Totally insulting people,” one neighbor told KDKA. “It’s really weird behavior. It’s predatory behavior.”

Pictures taken by residents in the area show Haffner wearing a thong and stuffing balloons up his shirt.

“A lot of the calls in the past were in regard to the way he was dressed. He dresses very provocatively, not illegal, but alarming to a lot of the people in the neighborhood. But again, it wasn’t illegal,” Miller said.

According to the criminal complaint, Haffner was blasting the song “I’m Too Sexy” ahead of Tuesday’s incident.

“He was trying to get their attention,” Miller said.

Now, those who live in the community are hoping Haffner stays behind bars or that some action is taken to protect children who live and play in that neighborhood.

“We would love to see [the bus stop] be moved. We would love to see some kind of privacy fence,” a neighbor said.

Haffner’s bail was denied, and he remains in the Washington County Jail. He faces two misdemeanor charges of open lewdness and indecent exposure. He is due back in court for his preliminary hearing on Nov. 25.