Man on Moped Exposes Self to Girl NR12466rf

UPDATE-
10/17/12

Following the release of the composite sketch below, the state parole office contacted detectives and identified the suspect as 50-year-old Geary Gornick.

“It was the description of the man on a moped and his behavior that made a parole officer curious about Gornick,” said Detective Luz Montero of the Mission Detective Division.  “And the GPS data from an ankle bracelet put Gornick at the time and place of the crime.”

Gornick is a registered sex offender and required to wear the ankle bracelet as part of his conditions of conviction and parole.  The bracelet transmits an electronic record of his whereabouts which can be retrieved later.

Since the August 31 incident, Gornick was arrested on September 22 on an unrelated methamphetamine charge while riding his moped, and he’s been in the county jail ever since.

“Now he’ll face another sex-related charge on his already established criminal history,”  Det. Montero added.  “Our victim, her mom, the parole agent and technology all played an important role in identifying this dangerous predator before he could physically harm someone.”

Los Angeles:  LAPD detectives have released a sketch of a man who exposed himself to a 12-year-old girl this past August as she walked across a parking lot in Arleta.

“The girl did everything right,” said Det. Luz Montero, of the LAPD Mission Detective Division.  “She ignored the man, kept her distance and told her mother right away.”

This suspect appeared Hispanic, wearing a “skull cap” helmet and riding a black moped.  Around 4:20 p.m. on Aug. 31, the man rode up on the moped and called out to the girl, then exposed himself.  He rode away a brief distance and walked into a nearby liquor store at 14439 Van Nuys Boulevard.

The girl’s mother confronted the man as he left the store, but there was no video footage available.  Detectives and a sketch artist guided mother and daughter through the process of drawing the suspect’s likeness.

“The sketch is quite distinct, and that, coupled with him riding a moped, should help the public recognize him in the neighborhood,” Det. Montero said.  “We’ve had no more sightings of him since this incident, but forewarned is forearmed.”

The suspect had gray hair, was of medium height and build, and his age was between 45 and 55 years old.  He was wearing a tank top and blue jeans in addition to the riding helmet.

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call LAPD Mission Detectives at 818-838-9975. Anonymous tips can be called into Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org by clicking on “webtips” and following the prompts.