Men Charged with Indecent Exposure, Peeping at Ballston Common Mall

Arlington police arrested two men accused of separate crimes of a sexual nature at Ballston Common Mall within hours of each other Monday, according to information released today.

Alexei Rodriguez, 37, who has no fixed address, was charged with indecent exposure and trespassing.

Rodriguez is accused of masturbating in a public area of the mall while watching women exercise through a gym window at about 6:20 a.m. Monday.

"He was first witnessed by a fitness instructor, who alerted a front desk employee (of the gym)," police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said. "Then another gym employee came out to verify the claim, witnessed this himself, and without the suspect noticing, called the police."

Rodriguez had been banned from the mall "on several occasions previously," Sternbeck said. The incident report did not elaborate on why, he said.

Rodriguez is being held without bond.

Later Monday, Jacques Toube, 50, of Riverdale, Md., was charged with peeping.

Toube was found in a female bathroom stall peeping into other stalls at about 9:40 a.m., according to police.

"Security noticed a female bathroom door was propped open with a trash can and went inside the restroom to see what was going on," Sternbeck said. "That's when they encountered the subject in the bathroom stall."

Toube now has also been banned from the mall, which means if he returns, he would face a trespassing charge.

Investigators do not believe the two incidents are related, that they were isolated incidents that "just happened to occur several hours apart at similar locations," Sternbeck said.

"It's always good for women and people in general to be aware of their surroundings at any place they go to," he said. "It's going to hold true in any circumstance… whether it's at the gym in the morning or out with your friends late at night, running on the trails or whatnot. You should always be aware of your surroundings and who is around you. It's just a good practice to remain aware."