February 21,
2003
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer
SHERIFF’S
OFFICE CRACKS DOWN ON LEWD BEHAVIOR AT I-4 REST AREA
It’s among
the only rest areas along the nation’s interstate highway system in Volusia
County, and the word has gotten out that it’s a place for men to meet and
engage in lewd behavior. In an effort to crack down on the illegal activity,
the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is getting a different message out – that
the I-4 rest area in Daytona Beach also is place where you can get arrested.
“The
motoring public and visitors to our community are entitled to use public
facilities without being subjected to lewd acts and unwanted advances,” said
Captain Dave Hudson, head of Investigative Services for the Sheriff’s Office.
“Hopefully the word is spreading to anyone who would engage in this type of
behavior and risk arrest that Volusia County is not the place to go.”
The Sheriff’s Office is getting
its message out through a series of periodic undercover sting operations, the
most recent of which resulted in eight arrests last week. The rest area is
located on the east side of I-4 near where International Speedway Boulevard
branches off from the interstate. While the rest area has no bathroom
facilities, there is a parking area along with picnic tables and an open field
that has become a popular meeting spot for men looking for sex. The Sheriff’s
Office’s Crime Suppression Team has targeted the area for periodic sting
operations where a male deputy working undercover waits to be approached by
suspected offenders. Once approached, the suspects strike up a conversation
that quickly turns to sex. When the suspect exposes himself or commits any
other offense, a signal is sent for the take-down team to move in.
A total of eight men ranging in age
from 34-60 were arrested on misdemeanor offenses during last week’s sting
operation that took place Thursday night and into the early morning hours of
Friday. Some of the eight were truck drivers passing though town. Others were
local residents. Of the eight, court records show that four have pled guilty
to disorderly conduct and were sentenced to time served – generally a day or
two. The other four cases are moving through the court system. The names of
the defendants and their original charges are as follows:
-
Glenn C. Anderson, 47,
Graniteville, SC. Exposure of sexual organ and battery.
-
Tony E. Boffa, 38, 4485 Calvin
Court, Daytona Beach. Exposure of sexual organ.
-
Timothy J. Costello, 34, 3342 San
Born Lane, Deltona. Exposure of sexual organ.
-
Ronald F. Durst, 41, Madison, NC.
Exposure of sexual organ.
-
Clarence D. Hatfield, 58, 1800 E.
Graves Ave., Orange City. Unnatural and lascivious act.
-
David Moskwa, 45, Scranton, PA.
Indecent exposure.
-
Robert H. Oglesby, 60, 445 Perdita
Street, Edgewater. Exposure of sexual organ.
-
James R. Phillips, 42, 2536
Sheffield Drive, Deltona. Exposure of sexual organ.
