Mom Helps Police Nab Man Who Allegedly Exposed Himself To Kids
AUBURN (CBS) - "I just did what I had to do."
Like any mom, Jamie Prendiville's top priority is protecting her kids.
Yesterday she was having lunch at an Auburn McDonald's with her 9-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter when she noticed a man sitting across from them.
"He kind of was just I guess, looking at my children weird, and I," Jamie said.
She briefly went outside to take a cell phone call, and by the time she came back she said, "my kids were kinda like real red-faced, and flushed and were acting a little nervous. Both my son and daughter pulled me over and whispered that something had happened."
The kids told Jamie that 57-year-old Steven Sullivan had exposed himself to them, she decided to follow him outside and was able to get a picture of him.
"I wanted to scream," Jamie says, "I did, I wanted to scream. I actually said to him 'I'm taking this picture straight to the police station for exactly what you did to my kids' and he looked at me and just snickered."
She went to Auburn police headquarters where police immediately recognized Sullivan, who has a previous lewdness conviction, and arrested him a short time later.
"We're thankful obviously that she got the photo for us because that led to a real quick resolution of the case," said Auburn Det. Sgt. Scott Mills.
"But by the same token, we don't want people confronting suspects because you don't know what their mindset is. You don't know if they're armed, leave that to us. But in this case it worked out well."
Jamie said, "Well I'm hoping a predator like that is definitely off the streets so that doesn't happen to anyone else."
Sullivan is being held on $10,000 bail and is ordered to stay away from alleged victims.