Beaufort man charged with indecent exposure after multiple incidents at Walmart, police say
A 39-year-old registered sex offender was arrested Thursday and charged with indecent exposure after multiple people reported that he exposed himself to them in the Beaufort Walmart on two separate occasions, according to a Beaufort Police Department release.
Anthony Dayon Best, of Beaufort, was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center just after 8 p.m. and remained incarcerated as of Friday morning, according to the jail log.
Police are seeking information about any other potential victims and ask the public if they’ve witnessed similar incidents recently, at Walmart or elsewhere, to please call Master Sgt. Charles Raley at 843-322-7914 or the Anonymous Tip Line at 843-322-7938.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette do not typically name those charged with misdemeanor offenses. In this case, the potential for other victims to be identified and a prior felonious conviction related to sexual assault outweighs the suspect’s privacy.
Around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, two teenage girls told a Walmart employee that a man exposed his genitals to them while they were in the toy section, according to the release. The employee reported the incident to police, who obtained surveillance footage, but the suspect had left the store.
About the same time the following day, police say the man returned to the same section of the store, exposed himself to an employee and began masturbating. Another employee recognized the man as the same person from the incident the previous day.
Police arrived at the Walmart, found Best and arrested him.
At the time of Best’s arrest, he was out on bond for two charges of third-degree arson in 2019. He is also a registered sex offender with previous convictions for assault with the intent to commit first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony, and second-degree burglary, the release said.
The investigation into the cases is ongoing.
