Barnes and Noble customer flashes people in the magazine section

A Barnes and Noble employee contacted Bloomington Police Department Wednesday to report a male patron had exposed himself in the magazine section before purchasing a copy of Penthouse.

The incident reportedly occurred around 7:30 p.m. April 19 at Barnes and Noble, 2813 E. Third St.

The complainant told police a patron alerted a cashier that a man was exposing himself in the magazine section, BPD Lt. Steve Kellams said.

The cashier went to the magazine section and found a man exposing his genitals in the “men’s interest” section, which contained adult materials. The complainant described the man as between the ages of 70 and 75 and wearing a blue denim jacket, baggy blue jeans and a blue toboggan cap.

The cashier then alerted the store manager of the incident. The manager confronted the man, to which he reportedly said, “Oh, I promise I won’t do it again,” and made a comment that the manager was very observant.

When the manager told the man to leave the bookstore, the man reportedly purchased a Penthouse magazine with cash and left the premises.

Store personnel were initially unsure whether they wanted to contact police, but ultimately decided to document the incident, Kellams said.


— Kirsten Clark