By Alex Ginsberg
A St. Albans man wanted for allegedly flashing young girls in 10 incidents around southeast Queens was arrested March 5, police said.
Willis Murray, 36, of 121-08 195th St., is believed to have exposed himself to girls ranging in age from 9 to 13, in each case approaching his victims on a mountain bike, police said.
He faces two counts of child endangerment and three counts of public lewdness in connection with the most recent of the incidents – a March 3 flashing of three sisters at 232nd Street and 130th Avenue in Laurelton, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint alleges that Willis circled the sisters – two of whom are 9 and 10 years old – on the mountain bike before exposing himself.
Nine other incidents, which took place in St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Brookville and Springfield Gardens were still being investigated, the Queens district attorney's office said.
The arrest was made by members of the 105th Precinct's Anti-Crime unit, a special plainclothes force used to combat specific crimes.
“We had an ongoing pattern,” said Lt. John Breheny, who co-supervises the Anti-Crime Unit. “We patrolled the area that he was doing his indecent act in. Based on descriptions given to us from previous complainers, the individual was stopped.”
Breheny described how a three-man team made up of his co-supervisor, Lt. John Hall, and two other plainclothes officers spotted and then followed the defendant in three unmarked cars.
The officers did not observe Willis commit a crime while they followed him, Breheny said, but they decided to stop him because he matched closely the physical description eyewitnesses had provided.
It was only upon approaching the defendant that they noticed he had his genitals exposed, the criminal complaint said.
Hall and two other officers made the arrest, Breheny said, but he was quick to credit officers in the 113th Precinct, where five of the incidents occurred.
“We were all looking for him,” he said.
Following his arrest, Willis was identified at the 105th station house by several of his accusers.
Reach reporter Alex Ginsberg by e-mail at timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157
