While Waiting to Register As a Sex Offender, Man Does the Unthinkable

A Seattle man who was waiting to register as a sex offender did the unthinkable: He started to publicly masturbate in the lobby of a county office building and was arrested for lewd behavior, according to police (via The Smoking Gun).

Last July, Anthony Hardison, 50, was convicted on two counts of indecent exposure with sexual motivation. He admitted to exposing himself to municipal bus drivers, according to a report by The Smoking Gun.

Hardison was sentenced on August 5 and was ordered to register as a sex offender. On August 12, he headed to the King County Administration Building, where the sheriff's office is located, to file the necessary paperwork. But things apparently didn't go as planned.

In a police report obtained by The Smoking Gun, a sheriff's worker found Hardison standing at a desk area "and repeatedly turning his head back to look at her." The worker told police Hardison had his back to her while "moving his hips and his arms in an odd fashion."

The worker, who was "alarmed and offended" believed Hardison was "masturbating or touching his penis." The woman eventually confronted Hardison who "stopped what he was doing and completed his required paperwork and left the area."

The woman spoke with her supervisor and a detective was assigned to look into the incident.

"Video evidence was reviewed and it confirmed that Hardison had been masturbating in the lobby," police said, according to The Smoking Gun.

Court records obtained by the website show Hardison was arrested for felony incident exposure and is being held in the Seattle Correctional Facility on a $145,000 bail. He has been categorized as a level 3 sex offender, which is the highest-risk in the category.