Suspect sex offender nabbed by authorities

A Milton man was arrested Monday on two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior on a victim under the age of 16, a second-degree felony, and three counts of exposure of sexual organs after exposing his genitalia to several children and adults including an 8-year-old between October 2009 and January 2010.

A deputy responded to an indecent exposure complaint back in February after children said they saw Christopher Lee Lowery, drive by in his black Dodge pick-up truck and rub and expose himself in plain view.

According to the arrest report, the children were standing in their yard by the side of the road when Lowery drove by and began exposing himself.  The subject then unfastened his seatbelt and acted as though he was going to get out of the vehicle, and the children ran inside according to the report.  Deputies put a warrant out on Lowery following the incident.

“This man had three incidents that were reported to us in the past, “said Marc Ward Public Information Officer for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. “After the (February) investigation, they were able to identify him from prior incidents and put a warrant out for his arrest.”

Lowery denied any involvement with the incidents in February.  All of the children who witnessed the crime in February were able to pick out either a photo of the victim in a line-up or a picture of his truck. 

Since the incident, investigators have been able to link Lowery up to several cases dating back to October 2009.

According to a SRSO press release, Lowery had exposed himself on three different occasions in the past to female victims, the youngest being 8 years of age, and the oldest being 40 years old. 

“This guy wasn’t just joking around, this guy had a sexual problem, he is a sexual offender,” said Ward. 

During his interview, deputies searched Lowery’s truck where they found a pair of men’s underwear on the passenger side floorboard. 

Sheriff investigators are currently seeking more information on other possible victims who may not have reported Lowery in previous indecent exposure incidents.

“At this point in the investigation, we need firsthand testimonies of people who may have fell victim to this,” Ward said.

Ward said incidents like this could affect children in more ways than one, and the sheriff’s department was lucky they caught Lowery before he inflicted more damage.

“This sort of incident can affect a child in all sorts of ways including trust issues with adults,” he said. “There can be a lot of psychological damage done in cases like these.”

Lowery was released shortly after being detained, posting $5,000 bond.