Originally published as a City of Palo Alto press release –
Palo Alto, CA – Police arrested a man earlier this month for indecent exposure after he was witnessed masturbating at a park.
On Sunday, October 10, 2021, at about 9:21 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting an indecent exposure in progress at a playground at Pardee Park at 851 Center Drive. Officers arrived a short time later and detained the suspect described by the victim without incident. When police arrived, the suspect was fully clothed and was the only person at the playground.
The investigation revealed that the victim, a woman in her thirties, had been walking to the park with two young children when she saw the suspect alone on the playground with his pants down, masturbating. No one else was present. The victim reported that the children for whom she was caring did not see the suspect or his actions, nor did she believe he had noticed her himself.
Police arrested the suspect, 33-year-old Uiha Haano Fakapelea of East Palo Alto, and issued him a criminal misdemeanor citation for indecent exposure. Police also cited him for two outstanding misdemeanor warrants (one for openly displaying or exposing an imitation firearm in a public place, the other for trespassing). As the suspect was cited, no booking photo is available
