Springfield, Illinois – On December 7, 2019, around 9:46 p.m., Springfield Police responded to Cold Stone Creamery, located at 124 S. 6th St., for a report of white male exposing his penis to employees.
Upon Officers arrival, they could see a white male, through the window, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans around his lower thighs with his butt cheeks exposed. According to Officers, they saw his hands in his crotch area doing a rubbing motion as if he was getting himself aroused.
The Officers told the suspect, who was later identified as Nicholas R. Gipson, age 33, to remove his hands from his pockets and to not grab anything. “I could see that his pants were lowered and his penis and crotch area were exposed. He also had what appeared to be was an erection,” the Officer reported.
While Nicholas was being questioned, he made an excited utterance that he was masturbating to the two young employees at Cold Stone Creamery. Nicholas also stated that he has never done this before and that he is a recovering drug addict.
The Officer then spoke with the shift leader, who is 17 years old. She told officers that Nicholas behavior alarmed and disturbed her and that she saw his penis prior to police arrival because he exposed it. She also stated that she told him to leave numerous times and he wouldn’t.
The Officer then spoke to a second employee. The second employee stated that she was very alarmed and disturbed by his behavior because he was just standing there and grabbing himself and refusing to leave. She said that she never saw his penis and had walked to the back room to get away from him.
Nicholas was arrested and booked into the Sangamon County Jail. On December 9 , 2019, Nicholas was charged by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office with public indecency, a class A misdemeanor and criminal trespass to property, a class B misdemeanor.
Nicholas was released from the Sangamon County Jail on his own recognizance (without having to post bond).