Crime & Safety

Gloucester County Man Charged in Local Lewdness Case

A Sewell man has been charged with exposing himself to two girls in the township's Somerdale section in March.

A Gloucester County man has been charged with exposing his genitals to 12-year-old girls here in Gloucester Township in March and to 13-year-old girls in Stratford last week.

One of the Stratford victims was able to take a photograph of the car from which she and her friend claim a man exposed his genitals to them at around 5:30 p.m. Friday, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

That photograph led investigators to today's arrest of 38-year-old Sewell resident Douglass Smith, Camden County Prosecutor Warren F. Faulk, Gloucester Township Police Chief W. Harry Earle and Stratford Police Chief Ronald Morello announced this afternoon.

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Smith, of the 200 block of Woodlawn Avenue in the Washington Township community, is accused of exposing his genitals to two 12-year-old girls in the area of Clement Drive and Prospect Lane, in the township's Somerdale section, at about 4 p.m. on March 11.

He allegedly repeated the act around 5:30 p.m. Friday on the 200 block of Vassar Avenue in Stratford, when the two 13-year-old victims claim he approached them in his 1992 Mazda Protege while unclothed below the waist.

Find out what's happening in Gloucester Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Smith has been charged with second-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree lewdness in connection with the Gloucester Township incident, according to authorities.

Stratford police have also charged Smith at this point with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child by lewdness, the prosecutor's office said. 

Smith is to be lodged in Camden County Jail on a total of $320,000 bail, Earle said around 6 p.m.

Investigators are looking into whether Smith is involved in similar incidents in the region. Anyone with information on other possible offenses involving Smith is asked to contact the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office at 856-225-8400, Gloucester Township Police Lt. Eric Quinavalle 856-374-3524 or Stratford Police Det. Scott Beasley at 856-783-8616


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