Columbus police charge man in three downtown flashing cases

Columbus police made an arrest Wednesday morning in three recent downtown flashing incidents.

Nicholas Oz Thompson, 25, was charged with three counts of public indecency and is being held in the Muscogee County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in Recorder’s Court Friday morning.

The case was investigated by the police sex crimes unit.

A Columbus woman reported to police and on social media Saturday evening that a man exposed himself to her in the Historic District, which prompted at least two more similar complaints.

The woman told police she was walking along Broadway near Heritage Park when a white male driving a older mid-sized black vehicle stopped her about 7 p.m. Saturday and asked for directions. He had blue eyes and blonde hair and appeared to be in his early 30s, the woman told police.

As the woman got close enough to the vehicle to give the man directions, he exposed himself and made a vulgar comment, she told police. She then ran from the vehicle and called 911.

The incident was reported on several social media pages, including the Historic District Neighborhood Watch page. Another woman responded that a man exposed himself to her on July 25 while she was working at a downtown business on 12th Street.

The second woman did not file a police report until Sunday, a day after the reported incident in the Historic District. She described the man as a white male, according to the police report.

A third incident was reported at 6:45 p.m. Sunday when a Historic District resident noticed a vehicle that matched the social media description of the car involved in the Saturday night incident. The black Mitsubishi was being driven by a white male, the neighbor told police.

The neighbor followed the vehicle to Front Avenue where it stopped, according to the police report. The neighbor watched as a female walked past the vehicle and the man in the car got the attention of the woman walking, according to the report.

“As the female approached the vehicle, (the neighbor) observed the female quickly back up from the vehicle in a surprising manner and quickly walk away,” the report stated.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Columbus police charge man in three downtown flashing cases."