Escambia County man accused of touching himself in front of twirling group

from staff reports | Pensacola News Journal

An Escambia County man was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for allegedly touching himself in front of a group of twirlers who were practicing at a closed gas station.

The owner of the twirling group business said that on Saturday, the group of young people was training under the awning of a closed gas station in the 7200 block of West Pensacola Boulevard because it was raining. She said the group regularly uses this area for training when the weather is bad.

Two of the group's female participants reportedly came around a corner and saw Ronald Renod Jones, 38, remove his genitals from his pants and begin masturbating while staring at them.

The victims allegedly yelled at Jones, causing him to run away, but they tried to keep him in sight as they contacted police.

While on the phone with dispatch, the victims described what the suspect was wearing and ECSO deputies found Jones at a Circle K nearby. Jones was brought back to the area and the victims identified him as the suspect.

Jones was booked into the Escambia County Jail on Saturday and remains in custody on a $26,000 bond.