On February 22, 2016, an EPD officer was dispatched to a suspicious subject call near Edison Elementary School at 1328 E. 22nd Avenue. A male had been observed watching children, driving around the block, then parking and entering the school yard at around 5:30 p.m. While the officer was enroute, dispatch advised him the man had been seen behind bushes at a nearby residence and appeared to be masturbating, before returning to his vehicle.
An EPD detective also responded and along with the officer they were able to identify a suspect in the case as Leroy Waldo Bates, age 73, of Oakridge. The officer issued an Attempt to Locate for Bates stemming from the incident. Today, March 22, Oakridge Police Department took Bates into custody. Bates has been charged with Indecency and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree, and lodged at the Lane County Jail. ###