Dartmouth man arrested after ‘exposing himself’ at Harry Reynold’s Park

DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WLNE) — Dartmouth police said a man was arrested for allegedly exposing himself at Harry Reynold’s Park on May 10.

67-year-old Joao Ladino, of Dartmouth, was charged with open and gross lewdness and lewd, wanton, and lascivious conduct.

The department said it began an investigation after receiving multiple complaints regarding “acts of lewdness” and people exposing themselves in the walking trail at the park.

During the investigation, detectives discovered these individuals would meet on a social app and plan to “engage in sexual activity” at a location, with a common place being the park.

Around 1:33 p.m., two undercover detectives saw two men, one identified as Ladino, enter the trail. Police said the two men were observed to have arrived in different vehicles and made eye contact before entering the trail.

The detectives then entered the trail and approached the two men, who police said were standing near each other.

Police alleged Ladino made “direct eye contact” with one detective, and “pulled down his pants fully exposing himself and then began to masturbate.”

The detectives identified themselves as police and arrested Ladino. Police said Ladino was uncooperative with the officers and taken to the hospital for evaluation.

“The recent reports of lewd activities in our public park are deeply concerning and unacceptable,” Dartmouth Police Chief Brian P. Levesque said. “Our parks are cherished spaces where families and children come to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Let me be clear, this type of behavior will not be tolerated, and we will continue to investigate these complaints. The Dartmouth Police Department is committed to ensuring our parks remain safe and welcoming for everyone in our community.”