Plymouth Man Charged with Masturbating in Public

A Plymouth man has been charged with masturbating in public while watching online pornography in the lobby of a Plymouth apartment building.

Christian David Cole, 20, is charged with two counts of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, each of which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, signed by Plymouth Police Officer Kevin Pregler, two 12-year-old girls were walking through the lobby of an apartment building in the 3200 block of Harbor Lane on Sept. 20 when they spotted a man later identified as Cole sitting in the lobby, watching porn on his computer.

The girls told police that it initially appeared that Cole had only one arm. However, when they looked more closely, they saw that his hand was moving inside his pants, they said.

The girls told an adult what they had seen, and she confronted Cole, who continued to masturbate while he spoke to the woman, according to the complaint.

When police arrived and questioned Cole, he admitted that he was looking at pictures of naked men online and that he was masturbating with his hands in his pants, according to the complaint.

Cole has been released from custody on a $6,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Oct. 25 in Hennepin County District Court.

Follow us on Twitter  |  Like us on Facebook  |  Sign up for our daily newsletter