PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Pembroke Pines police arrested a Boca Raton man accused of exposing himself and groping a 10-year-old girl in a mall food court Tuesday afternoon.
That young victim spoke to Local 10 News Wednesday with the permission of her mother. Local 10 News is not identifying either of them.
According to an arrest report, police responded to the Pembroke Lakes Mall at around 2:30 p.m. after receiving a report that a man had exposed his penis in the mall’s food court. A second caller reported that the man had groped a young girl.
Police said they were initially unable to find 42-year-old Julian Todd Lambert, but did speak with the victims.
One victim said that Lambert walked up on her 10-year-old sister while they were in line at Popeyes and grabbed her buttocks, according to the report.
“She noticed what he did (to her sister) and began to yell at him,” the report states. “(Lambert) then walked away and exited the food court via the northwest exit.”
The victims’ mother told Local 10 News she had dropped her children off at the mall that day for back-to-school shopping. She recounted their description of Lambert.
“He was completely erect, with his pants down to his knees, walking through the mall and everyone was staring at him,” the 10-year-old’s mother said. ”My other daughters intervened and started yelling for help.”
The 10-year-old girl later told police that “she felt scared and was in shock” over what happened.
“She stood still and watched her sister begin to yell at the male as he walked by her,” the report said.
That young girl told Local 10 News she was thankful that her older sisters screaming for help. She was shaken as she recounted what happened.
“I was like ‘What in the world?’” she said. “He, like, touched my butt and my thigh.”
Sgt. Christian Rogers, a police spokesperson, said the girl’s sisters did the right thing.
“They did the responsible thing by telling their family and we encourage all victims to tell somebody something, “Rogers said. “Don’t keep it a secret.”
A second victim told police that she and her 17-year-old daughter saw the man walk in their direction with his shorts dropped and the front of his boxers opened, exposing his penis, the report states.
Police said that while speaking with the victims, a man matching the suspect’s description was located at a bus stop just outside the mall. The victim identified the man as the suspect in question, the report states.
Lambert was arrested on a felony count of lewd and lascivious molestation, police said. He was also charged with indecent exposure.
On Wednesday, a Broward County judge gave Lambert an $8,500 bond and ordered him to stay away from children and the mall. He was also required to undergo a medical evaluation.
The mother of the 10-year-old victim said she worries if Lambert gets out of jail, he will strike again.
“After I saw what he did to my daughter on camera, I know that he has done his before,” she said. “This is where he hunts. He hunts on our children.”
Pembroke Pines police are asking anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of Lambert’s to give them a call at 954-431-2200.