Homeless man charged with indecent exposure after showering in yard

Published 12:25 pm Monday, July 15, 2019

SALISBURY — A homeless man was charged over the weekend with indecent exposure after he used a garden house to take a shower and wash his clothes in a front yard.

Neighbors held the man down until authorities arrived, according to a Salisbury Police Department report.

Police charged 63-year-old Jerry Lee Crews on Saturday with the misdemeanor offense. He remains in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $1,000 secured bond.

A police report said the incident occurred before noon Saturday in the 200 block of Fairview Street and Morrison Avenue.

Crews stripped down naked and washed himself using an outdoor hose, then proceeded to wash his clothes, the report said. He then put on dry clothes before neighbors held him down on the ground until a law officer arrived.

The officer noted in his report that Crews appeared to have some mental health problems or was impaired.

Crews has a number of previous misdemeanor convictions including assault on a law enforcement officer or state employee, injury to personal property, disorderly conduct, and assault on a female.