A registered sex offender was arrested Tuesday after he was accused of following women around a Hobby Lobby in East Haven while allegedly touching himself, police said.
Officers were dispatched to Hobby Lobby at 68 E. Frontage Road on Tuesday after receiving a complaint of a man who was allegedly “engaging in lewd behavior” inside the store, according to Capt. Joseph M. Murgo of the East Haven Police Department.
Witnesses alleged that a man was following women around the store while appearing to touch himself underneath his clothing, Murgo said.
According to Murgo, video evidence provided to officers supported witness accounts.
The man, later identified as 34-year-old Dylan Alexander Derosa of New Haven, was located at his job in the same plaza as the Hobby Lobby, Murgo said. He was taken into custody and processed at East Haven police headquarters where he was charged with second-degree breach of peace.
Derosa was held on a $75,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court on Wednesday.
Further investigation revealed that Derosa is a registered sex offender and currently on parole, according to Murgo. In addition to the bond that was set, Derosa is being held on a parole remand,
“It should be noted that we are deeply disturbed by the behavior alleged in this case,” Murgo said. “Women should never have to fear being followed or subjected to predatory conduct while simply shopping in a store. No one should ever feel unsafe in our community. We want the public to know that we will not tolerate this type of behavior, and we will pursue offenders like this with every resource available. We also commend both the reporting party and the store employees for promptly bringing this conduct to our attention.”
