Cleveland police capture a man suspected of purposely exposing himself in public

CLEVELAND, Tennessee (WDEF) – A man suspected of exposing himself and attempting to get at a teenage girl while she was in a public bathroom is now in police custody.

Thursday afternoon, Cleveland Police captured James Eady, 26, after someone called 911 about man exposing himself. Eady was taken into custody at the intersection of 25th Street and Harrison Circle.

The arrest came only moments after News 12 was interviewed Aleesia Langford, 15 and her boyfriend Curtis Rzeplinski, 15.

Wednesday afternoon, the two teens encountered Eady after he reportedly followed Langford into a women’s bathroom along along the Cleveland Greenway.

“I saw feet and it’s these big huge boots right here. Then I see hands I say excuse me. Then I see him crawl under the door to the stall  and he reached for me so I started to scream,” Langford said.

That’s when Rzeplinski sprung into action.

“I hear her scream and I rip the door open. I screamed at the guy and told him to get out. I then grabbed him and threw him out. He threw up his hands like he was going to fight me. I went back in to make sure she was ok and came back out but he took off on his bicycle,” Rzeplinski said.

The scuffle at the door leading into the bathroom was captured on surveillance video that police showed to Rzeplinski’s mother, Alisha Kilgore.

“It was like watching an action movie with your son in it. It was like big movie time,” Kilgore said.

Eady is also suspected of exposing himself to Sherie Carter who was jogging on the Greenway Sunday afternoon.  When News 12 showed her the video of his arrest, she identified him as the same man who exposed himself on the Greenway.

“He completely pulled his shorts down in the front and exposed everything. He had himself in his hand and made rude comments and started walking towards me. He asked me if I wanted some of that. I was completely startled,” Carter said.

Ironically, just moments after speaking to the two teens about the bathroom incident, Eady was captured by police after allegedly exposing himself.

“He was continuing to victimize and not think about anything else other than carrying out the act,” said Cleveland Police Chief Mark Gibson.

Eady is no stranger to trouble. Back in 2010, he was arrested in Whitfield County for kidnapping a female student from the North Whitfield Middle School campus.

As for As for Curtis Rzeplinski, Cleveland Police have praised him for being the hero who came to the rescue of his girlfriend.

“He took care of his business. He did what he needed to do to protect her and I believe that’s the only reason that something worst didn’t happen,” said Cleveland Police Sgt. Evie West.”

News 12 has also congratulated Rzeplinski on a job well done.