Blame it on the groundhog: Man accused of public masturbation says he was 'startled' by critter

A man reportedly on the sex offender registry accused of public masturbation in a park blames the whole thing on a groundhog.

An unidentified victim told police Thursday evening that a man was following her and another individual around a park, watching them playing, with his pants down and privates exposed. She also described a motion to demonstrate what he was doing with his hands.

The suspect, Robert McCoy, 53, told police it was all a misunderstanding when they apprehended him later that evening, according to an arrest citation.

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He was peeing in the area, he told them, when his pants fell down. A groundhog then "startled" him and he turned away quickly — possibly exposing himself to passersby.

The arrest citation lists the incident location as 2375 Lannan Park Road, in Lannan Memorial Park. Police documents say it took place at 5:15 p.m. Thursday. He was arrested at 6:30 p.m. that day.

McCoy is charged with first-degree sexual abuse and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 21.

The sex offender registry lists offenses by a Robert McCoy that include first-degree sexual abuse, attempted first-degree rape and attempted first-degree sodomy.

Reach Darcy Costello at 502-582-4834 or dcostello@courier-journal.com.